Complications, risks, adverse effects of circumcision
Complications of circumcision
This directory contains articles about the complications, risks, adverse effects, and disadvantages of circumcision and their treatments (not including repair of the circumcision itself; see Foreskin reconstruction). See also Psychological Impacts of Circumcision.
Medical journal articles about complications are divided into case reports, propective studies, retrospective studies, and literature survey articles. Case reports report individual cases. Prospective studies are forward looking studies that record the complications experienced by a particular group of infants. Retrospective studies look backward by examination of medical and/or hospital records. Survey articles provide a summary of the existing medical literature.
Case report articles provide information about the variety and incidence of complications of circumcision but do not provide information on the total number of complications that result from circumcision. Cases are reported only when the complication has not been previously seen or when new information can be added to the store of medical knowledge of treatment or management.
The incidence of complications, risks, and adverse effects of male circumcision is controversial. There is wide disagreement on what constitutes a complication. Some studies only record immediate in hospital complications, while other studies record complications that occur later in life. Needless to say, these variations cause a wide range in the reported incidence of complications. None of the available prospective studies consider the sexual effects of male circumcision in adult life. The National Organization to Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males (NOHARMM) has compiled statistical data on the estimated total number of complications and has made it available on the World Wide Web.
Williams and Kapila estimate that a realistic rate of complications from neonatal circumcision ranges from 2% to 10%. To many men who become aware of the function and value of the prepuce, the fact that this genital sensory organ was amputated from them at birth is itself a complication of circumcision; in which case, the actual complication rate is 100%... For males fortunate enough to survive the surgery without immediate complications, there is a growing awareness among men of other delayed, long-term consequences of neonatal circumcision, which are only now beginning to be documented. ~ Awakenings (NOHARMM)
References
Prospective Studies of Circumcision Complications
Prospective studies of circumcision complications are controlled studies of the type and number of complications of circumcision that occur in a clinical setting. CIRP provides studies from Canada, England, New Zealand, Turkey, and the United States. Prospective studies usually provide information on the incidence (percentage of boys suffering adverse effects) of complications. Reported rates of complications range up to 55%.
Retrospective studies examine medical records. In a small retrospective study limited to the incidence of adhesions in circumcised boys, Gracely-Kilgore reported that 15 percent of circumcised boys experience adhesions. Three percent required surgical correction. El-Bahnasawy reported that circumcision is the most frequent cause of penile injury.
Case reports are reports of individual cases that have appeared in the medical literature regarding complications of circumcision. The list provided here is extensive but it is not comprehensive. There are other reports that are not listed here.
Ablation of the Penis
Brown JB, Fryer MP. Surgical reconstruction of the penis. GP 1958; 17: 104-7.
Money, John. Ablatio Penis: Normal Male Infant Sex-Reassigned As A Girl Archives of Sexual Behavior (New York) vol. 4 no. 1 January 1975 pp. 65-71
Pearlman CK. Reconstruction following iatrogenic burn of the penis. J Pediatr Surg 1976;11:121-2.
Pearlman CK. Caution advised on electrocautery circumcisions. Urology 1982;19:453.
Stefan, H. Reconstruction of the Penis Following Necrosis from Circumcision Used High Frequency Cutting Current. Sbornik Vedeckych Praci Lekarske Fakulty Karlovy Univerzity (Hradci Kralove) vol. 35, no. 5 (Suppl) 1992, pp. 449-454.
Gilbert DA, Jordan GH, Devine CJ Jr, Winslow BH, Schlossberg SM. Phallic construction in prepubertal and adolescent boys. J Urol 1993; 149: 1521-6.
Azmy A, Boddy SA, Ransley PG. Successful reconstruction following circumcision with diathermy. Br J Urol 1985; 57: 587-8.
Yilmaz AF, Sarikaya S, Yildiz S, et al. Rare complication of circumcision: penile amputation and reattachment. European Urology (Basel) 1993; 23(3): 423-424.
Hanukoglu A, Danielli L, Katzir Z, Gorenstein A, Fried D. Serious complications of routine ritual circumcision in a neonate: hydro ureteronephrosis, amputation of glans penis, and hyponatraemia. Eur J Pediatr 1995; 154: 314-5.
Neulander E, Walfisch S. Kaneti J. Amputation of distal penile glans during neonatal ritual circumcision -- a rare complication. Br J Urol 1996; 77: 924-5.
Van Howe RS. Re: circumcision: successful glanular reconstruction and survival following traumatic amputation (Letter). J Urol. 1997;158:550.
Coskunfirat OK, Sayiklkan S, Velidedeoglu H.. Glans and penile skin amputation as a complication of circumcision (letter). Ann Plast Surg 1999;43(4):457.
A medical paper published in May 2013 reported a correlation between the increased use of paracetamol (acetominophen) as an analgesic for circumcision pain and an increase in autism spectrum disorder. While correlation does not prove that paracetemol causes autism spectrum disorder, it does raise concerns that it may. Parents may wish to avoid increasing the potential risk of autism spectrum disorder by avoiding circumcision.
No one knows if a newborn baby has a bleeding disorder. Although circumcision cuts through arteries and veins that provide blood to the foreskin, it is not customary to do a clotting factor test prior to circumcision. If a bleeding disorder exists it will be discovered only during the course of the operation.
Note:
Post-circumcision bleeding is an extremely serious matter. Substantial bleeding cannot be tolerated, because the quantity of blood is an infant's body is quite small. Bleeding can lead to exsanguination, followed by hypovolemic shock, followed by death. Post-circumcision bleeding requires immediate medical attention.
Bleeding and Hemorrhage
Shulman J, Ben-hur N, Neuman Z. Surgical complications of circumcision. Am J Dis Child 1964; 107:149-54.
Gee WF, Ansell, NF. Neonatal circumcision: a ten year overview; with comparison of the Gomco clamp and the Plastibell device. Pediatrics 1976; 58: 824-7.
Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans (BXO) secondary to circumcision
Stuehmer A. Balanitis xerotica obliterans (post operationem) und ihre beziehungen zur kraurosis glandis et praeputii penis. Arch Derm Syph. 1928;156:613-23.
Potter B. Balanitis xerotica obliterans manisfesting on the stump of amputated penis. Arch Dermatol. 1959;79:473.
Weigand DA. Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, multiple displastic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma of the glans penis. J Dermatol Surg Oncol. 1980;6 45-50.
Campus GV, Ena P, Scuderi N. Surgical treatment of balanitis xerotica obliterans. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1984;73(4):652-7.
Zungri E, Chechile G, Algaba F, Mallo N. Balanitis xerotica obliterans: surgical treatment. Eur Urol 1988;14:160-2.
Garat JM, Checile G, Algaba F, Santaularia JM. Balanitis xerotica obliterans in children. J Urol 1988;136:136-7
Datta C, Dutta SR, Chaudhuri A. Histopathological and immunological studies in a cohort of balanitis xerotica. obliterans. J Ind Med Assoc1993;91 146-8.
Stefan H. Reconstruction of the penis following necrosis from circumcision used high frequency cutting current. Sb Ved Pr Lek Fak Karlovy Univerzity Hradci Kralove Suppl 1992; 35: 449-54.
Stefan H. Reconstruction of the penis after necrosis due to circumcision burn. Eur J Pediatr Surg 1994; 4: 40-3.
Maizels M, Zaontz M, Donovan J, Bushnick PN, Firlit CF. Surgical correction of the buried penis: description of a classification system and a technique to correct the disorder. J Urol 1986; 136: 268-73.
van-der Zee JA, Hage JJ, Groen JM, Bouman FG. Een ernstige complicatie ten gevolge van rituele circumcisie van een 'begraven' penis. [A serious complication of ritual circumcision of a 'buried' penis] Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 1991; 135: 1604-6.
Bergeson PS. et al. The Inconspicuous Penis. Department of General Pediatrics and Urology, Phoenix Children's Hospital. Pediatrics 1993;92:794-9.
Kaplan GW. Circumcision: an overview. Curr Probl Pediatr 1977 7:1-33.
Circulatory Complications
Hamm WG, Kanthak FF. Gangrene of the penis following circumcision with high frequency current. South Med J 1949; 42: 657-9.
Thorek P, Egel P. Reconstruction of the penis with split-thickness skin graft: a case of gangrene following circumcision for acute balanitis. Plast Reconst Surg 1949; 4: 469-72.
Pinkham EW Jr, Stevenson AW Jr. Unusual reaction to local anesthesia: gangrene of the prepuce. US Armed Forces Med J 1958; 9: 120-2.
Rosefsky JB Jr. Glans necrosis as a complication of circumcision. Pediatrics 1967; 39: 774-6.
Ahmed S, Shetty SD, Anandan N, Patil KP, Ibrahim AIA. Penile reconstruction following post-circumcision penile gangrene. Pediatr Surg Int 1994; 9: 295-6.
Aslan A, Karaguzel G, Melikoglu M. Severe ischemia of the glans penis following circumcision: A successful treatment via pentoxifylline. Int J Urol 2005;12(7):705-7.
Clamp Complications
David W. Feigal, Jr.Potential for Injury from Circumcision Clamps. Rockville: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2000.
Note:
For more information on death as a consequence of circumcision, see Circumcision Deaths.
Smey P. Re: Penile denudation injuries after circumcision. J Urol 1985; 134: 1220.
Orozco-Sanchez J, Neri-Vela R. Denudacion total del pene por circuncision. Descripcion de una tecnica de plastia del pene para su correccion. [Total denudation of the penis in circumcision: Description of a penoplasty technique for its correction.] Bl Med Hosp Infant Mex 1991; 48: 565-9.
Tse S, Barrington K, Byrne P. Methemoglobinemia associated with prilocaine use in neonatal circumcision. Am J Perinatology 1995; 12: 331-2. Mandel S.
Gazarian M, Taddio A, Klein J, Kent G, Koren G. Penile absorption of EMLA cream in piglets: implications for use of EMLA in neonatal circumcision. Biol Neonate 1995; 68: 334-41.
Özbek N, Akpek NE and Ersoy E. Toxic neonatal methaemoglobinaemia after prilocaine administration for circumcision. BJU International 2000, 85 (9), 1-1.
Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is becoming increasingly found in epidemic proportions world wide. It may be only a matter of time before newly circumcised boys in a hospital nursery are infected with this antibiotic resistant pathogen with life-threatening results. Staph infection can cause arthritis, bacteremia, cellulitis, impetigo, necrotizing fasciitis, pneumonia, osteomyletis, staphylococcal pyoderma, staphylococcus scalded skin syndrome (SSSS), and other diseases. Reassessment of the risk-benefit ratio associated with non-therapeutic neonatal circumcision urgently is necessary.
Uwyyed K, Korman SH, Bar Oz B, Vromen A. Scrotal abscess with bacteremia caused by Salmonella group D after ritual circumcision. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1990; 9: 65-6.
Braun D. Neonatal bacteremia and circumcision. Pediatrics 1990;85:135-6.
Wiswell TE, Curtis J, Dobek AS, Zierdt CH. Staphylococcus aureus colonization after neonatal circumcision in relation to device used. J Pediatr1991;119:302-4.
Johnsonbaugh RE. Complication of a circumcision performed with a plastic disposable circumision device: long-term follow-up. Am J Dis Child. 1979; 133: 438.
Jonas G. Retention of a plastibell circumcision ring: report of a case. Obstetr Gynecol 1984; 24: 835.
Stranko J, Ryan ME, Bowman AM. Impetigo in newborn infants associated with a plastic bell clamp circumcision. Pediatr Infect Dis 1986; 5: 597-9.
Sorensen SM, Sorensen MR. Circumcision with the Plastibell device. A long-term followup. Int Urol Nephrol 1988; 20: 159-66.
Sterenberg N, Golan J, Ben-Hur N. Necrosis of the glans penis following neonatal circumcision. Plast Reconstr Surg 1981; 68: 237-9.
Horowitz, J., Schussheim, A., and Scalettar, H.E. Abdominal distension following ritual circumcision. Pediatrics 1982; 70:597.
Breuer GS, Walfisch S. Circumcision complications and indications for ritual recircumcision--clinical experience and review of the literature. Isr J Med Sci 1987;23:252-6.
Uwyyed K, Korman SH, Bar Oz B, Vromen A. Scrotal abscess with bacteremia caused by Salmonella group D after ritual circumcision. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1990;9:65-6.
van-der Zee JA, Hage JJ, Groen JM, Bouman FG. Een ernstige complicatie ten gevolge van rituele circumcisie van een 'begraven' penis. [A serious complication of ritual circumcision of a 'buried' penis] Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 1991; 135: 1604-6.
Hanukoglu A, Danielli L, Katzir Z, Gorenstein A, Fried D. Serious complications of routine ritual circumcision in a neonate: hydro ureteronephrosis, amputation of glans penis, and hyponatraemia. Eur J Pediatr 1995; 154: 314-5.
Neulander E, Walfisch S. Kaneti J. Amputation of distal penile glans during neonatal ritual circumcision -- a rare complication. Br J Urol 1996; 77: 924-5.
Lackey JT, Mannion RA, Kerr JE. Subglanular urethral fistula from infant circumcision. J Indiana State Med Assoc 1969; 62: 1305-6.
Shiraki, IW. Congenital megalourethra with urethracutaneous fistula following circumcision: a case report. J Urol 1973: 109: 723.
Lau, JTK, Ong GB. Subglandular urethral fistula following circumcision: repair by the advancement method. J Urol 1981; 126: 702-703.
Benchekroun A, Lakrissa A, Tazi A, Hafa D, Ouazzani N. Fistules urethrales apres circoncision: a propos de 15 cas. [Urethral fistulas after circumcision: apropos of 15 cases] Maroc Med 1981; 3: 715-8.
Prais D. Shoov-Furman R, Amir J. Is circumcision a risk factor for neonatal urinary tract infections? Arch Dis Child Published Online First: 6 October 2008. doi:10.1136/adc.2008.144063 [ Abstract]
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