Clitoroplasty Explained

Clitoroplasty is a type of plastic surgery involving the clitoris. It encompasses several procedures, including clitoral reduction, clitoral reconstruction, and the creation of a neoclitoris in male-to-female gender-affirming surgery. These surgeries aim to retain or restore sensation and function in the clitoris, often employing nerve-sparing techniques.

Clitoral reconstruction

Clitoral reconstruction is surgery to restore the function and structure of the clitoris. Examples of clitoral reconstruction include its use to mitigate congenital malformation or repair damage caused by female genital mutilation.^{[1] [2]}

Clitoral reconstruction after female genital mutilation involves surgery to expose the remaining deep structures of the clitoris., there was little evidence for the therapeutic effectiveness of this procedure.^[3]

Clitoral reduction

Clitoral reduction is the surgical reduction in size of the clitoris, used to treat clitoromegaly. Unlike clitoridectomy, the amputation of part of the clitoris, commonly considered a form of female genital mutilation, modern clitoral reduction surgery aims to preserve sensation and function through the use of nerve-sparing microsurgical techniques.^{[4] [5] [6]}

It should be distinguished from clitoral hood reduction, an operation on the clitoral hood in which the clitoris itself is not damaged.

Gender-affirming surgery

During male-to-female gender-affirming surgery, a neoclitoris is made from the tissue of the glans penis.^[7]

In female-to-male gender-affirming surgery, metoidioplasty is an operation in which the clitoris is repositioned to create a neophallus.^[8]

See also

• Vulvoplasty

Notes and References

1. VanderBrink . Brian A. . Stock . Jeffrey A. . Hanna . Moneer K. . December 2010 . Aesthetic aspects of reconstructive clitoroplasty in females with bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex . Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery: JPRAS . 63 . 12 . 2141–2145 . 10.1016/j.bjps.2010.02.005 . 1878-0539 . 20303329.
2. Web site: January 2015 . Clinical Commissioning Policy Statement: Genital Surgery to improve clitoral sensation for women who have undergone Female Genital Mutilation . 2024-04-25 . NHS England.
3. Villani . Michela . May 2023 . Clitoral reconstruction: challenges and new directions . International Journal of Impotence Research . 35 . 3 . 196–201 . 10.1038/s41443-022-00572-6 . 35418603 . 10159845 . 1476-5489.
4. Rawat . Jiledar . Singh . Sudhir . 2022 . Sensation-preserving clitoral reduction surgery: A preliminary report of our experience . African Journal of Paediatric Surgery . 19 . 1 . 23–26 . 10.4103/ajps.AJPS_32_21 . free . 0974-5998 . 8759416 . 34916347.
5. Uzan . C. . Marchand . F. . Schmidt . M. . Meningaud . J.P. . Hersant . B. . July 2020 . Clitoral reduction: Technical note . Annales de Chirurgie Plastique Esthétique . 65 . 4 . e7–e13 . 10.1016/j.anplas.2019.10.002. 32482351 .
6. Reifsnyder . Jennifer E. . Stites . John . Bernabé . Kerlly J. . Galan . Denise . Felsen . Diane . Poppas . Dix P. . April 2016 . Nerve Sparing Clitoroplasty is an Option for Adolescent and Adult Female Patients with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Clitoral Pain following Prior Clitoral Recession or Incomplete Reduction . The Journal of Urology . 195 . 4 Pt 2 . 1270–1273 . 10.1016/j.juro.2015.12.053 . 1527-3792 . 26926549.
7. Book: Koch, Anne L.. It Never Goes Away: Gender Transition at a Mature Age. Rutgers University Press. 2019. 89. 978-0-81359-839-0.
8. Perovic SV, Djordjevic ML . Metoidioplasty: a variant of phalloplasty in female transsexuals . BJU International . 92 . 9 . 981–5 . December 2003 . 14632860 . 10.1111/j.1464-410x.2003.04524.x . 11836091 .