Use of a hypogastric flap and split-thickness skin grafting for a degloving injury of the penis and scrotum: A different approach

Abstract

Penile and scrotal skin avulsions are not common events and are caused usually by accidents with industrial machines or agricultural machines. We report a case of a 27-year-old newly married thin-built patient with avulsion and traumatic degloving of the penile and scrotal skin, with exposure of the corpora cavernosa and copus spongiosum of penis and testes as his loose clothes got entangled in a paddy harvesting machine accidently. Reconstruction was performed using a hypogastric flap and split skin graft, achieving a satisfactory aesthetic result and sexual functions.

Traumatic Degloving Injury of Penile and Scrotal Skin: A Case Report and Review of Literature

“…There was one early disadvantage of this procedure which was painful erections in the early postoperative period but these painful episodes rarely continue. These painful erections are usually due to contractures at the penoscrotal and/or perineoscrotal junctions that may restrict the erectile function of the penis [8,32,33]. However, our patient reported painful erections due to cicatricial retraction of the grafted skin in the early post-operative period which subsided gradually by applying daily corticosteroid cream massage.…”

“…The use of loose clothing materials like baggy trousers or thawb (an ankle-length garment worn by Arabian men), as in our case, has been associated with the incidence of industrial and/or agricultural machine parts snagging these and pulling out the penile and scrotal skin [1,8]. Close-fitting workman clothing materials, like jeans, are less likely to be so snagged.…”

“…Close-fitting workman clothing materials, like jeans, are less likely to be so snagged. Males of adult and adolescent age group are the usual victims [7][8][9].…”