Surgical conversion of genitalia in transsexual patients

OBJECTIVE: To describe the techniques and outcome of genital and urethral reconstructive surgery during gender conversion as part of the treatment of transsexuals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1992 to 1999, 82 patients were surgically converted after previous sexual and hormonal therapy. Using the male genital tissue to create new female genitalia, and vice versa, 30 male and 52 female transsexuals were converted. For male-to-female transsexuals, the technique of penile skin inversion was used 29 times and sigmoidocolpoplasty five times (in one patient primarily and in four patients to correct inadequate neovaginal size after penile skin inversion). In female-to-male transsexuals, 28 meta-idoioplasties and seven neophalloplasties were performed using the groin skin-flap technique, with 42 breast reductions also included as a part of the therapy. RESULTS: Surgical gender reassignment of the male transsexuals resulted in replicas of female genitalia which enabled coitus with orgasm. Depending on the technique used in the reverse conversion, the patient maintained the ability to attain orgasm, and in many cases had a satisfactory appearance of the neopenis, with the potential to void while standing. CONCLUSIONS: The morphological proportions of each patient vary, and the different shapes and sizes of the tissues can be used for plastic operations. Thus the modelling of each individual genital in transsexuals can be considered 'original'.