Buried penis. A novel approach.

Buried penis is a congenital abnormality in which the phallus is concealed within the subcutaneous tissue. The corporal bodies and glans have developed normally. A deficiency of penile shaft skin in association with abnormal mobility of the skin gives rise to the phenotypic appearance. The skin defect may be related to an abnormal attachment of dartos muscle during embryogenesis. Correction of this condition requires separation of these abnormal muscular attachments and provision of skin coverage of the penile shaft. It is imperative not to circumcise the patient as this will worsen the skin deficiency. We describe a novel technique for correcting buried penis performed on 12 patients at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. A satisfactory cosmetic result was obtained in all patients.