Aims: To study the presentation of meatal stenosis as a complication of circumcision done in boys of neonatal or nappy age.
Methods: A total of 50 patients were studied. These patients had meatotomy performed to treat meatal stenosis. All the patients had circumcision during the neonatal period or in the nappy age. Meatal stenosis was defined as change in the appearance of the delicate lips of the urinary meatus, with loss of elliptical shape to a circular shape because of fibrosis or scarring, with visually apparent narrowing. Patients with this appearance and no symptoms, but who had presented with a hernia, undescended testes or some other unassociated condition and had meatotomy were for the purpose of this study classed as the incidental group. Patients who were symptomatic and had the meatal stenosis as defined above were classed as the symptomatic group.
Results: Sixteen patients (total n = 50) had the diagnosis of meatal stenosis made incidentally. Thirty four patients, (68% of the total treated by meatotomy) presented to the clinic, being symptomatic due to meatal stenosis. The median age at presentation of the symptomatic group was 48 months (range 3 months-13 years) following circumcision. In all the symptomatic patients meatotomy alleviated the symptoms. All the operated patients were seen between one to three months following the operation and discharged. There were no late presentations with recurrence of meatal stenosis or complications of the treatment.
Conclusion: Meatal stenosis is an under recognised complication of circumcision done in neonatal and nappy aged boys. Symptomatic presentation from meatal stenosis can be very late.