Hypospadias is a common problem in newborn males. Substantial advances in surgical technologies and procedures have occurred during the past 20 years and continue to move forward.
Surgeons and specialists at the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute are world-recognized specialists who have pioneered a number of these advances and are thoroughly familiar with all of them. Their experience leads to highly successful resolution of these problems allowing children to grow to fully functional men with no outward appearance of having once had an abnormality.
What is hypospadias?
Male and female genitalia are similar during the first 8 or so weeks of development. The penis begins to develop after the eighth week. The urethral tube, the duct that eventually carries urine from the bladder to the tip of penis, begins as an open channel that gradually closes as the child develops. In some children, the closure terminates in an opening beneath the head of the penis rather than the tip.
In most instances, the opening is close to the head but it can appear anywhere along the shaft. The abnormality is often associated with a curvature of the penis called chordee. This curvature coupled with the location of the opening, if left uncorrected, may require urination from a seated position and may also interfere with conception.
