Question
Is there a risk involved in treating a child’s hypospadias?
Answer
Hypospadias is the most common congenital anomaly in the male urinary reproductive system, with an incidence rate of 1 in 300. Some studies suggest that the condition may be associated with crypto- transmission , and if a couple already has a child with hypospadias, there is a 10% chance that other children may also have the condition. During the process of embryonic development, the formation of the urethra tube fusion is influenced by the androgen secretion of the gonads and the response of the embryonic urethral groove and folds to dihydrotestosterone. When these processes are impaired, hypospadias can occur. Anatomically, hypospadias has five basic characteristics, including an absence of the prepuce ligament, prepuce concentration on the dorsal side of the glans, a flat glans resembling a shovel, penile curvature downward, and an abnormal location of the urethral opening. Depending on the location of the urethral opening, hypospadias is clinically divided into five types. Among them, glans-type or coronal groove-type hypospadias generally does not affect urination and sexual function and may not require surgical treatment.