TREATMENT AND OPERATIVE INDICATIONS FOR PHIMOSIS IN CHILDREN

The foreskins of phimosis in children have been retracted as much as possible at the out-patient clinic, to avoid unnecessary operations. Five-hundred and twenty-seven cases of phimosis were experienced since 1986, and 427 of them were classified into 6 types according to the appearance of the penis and preputial orifice; type I (burried penis, 22 cases), type II (bottle neck, 86), type III (pinhole, 60), type IV (moderate stenosis, 154), type V (mild stenosis, 101), and type VI (scarred stenosis, 4). The foreskins were unable to retract in 13 cases (59.1%) of type I, 17 cases (19.8%) of type II, and 2 cases (50%) of type VI. In all cases of pinhole type, which looked highly stenotic, the foreskins were retractable. As a result, operation was performed only in 32 cases (6.1%) of all cases. Our best effort to retract the foreskin has reduced the operative indications of phimosis markedly.