Clitoroplasty

Clitoroplasty is a term for the surgical creation of a clitoris (in trans women as part of gender reassignment surgery), or restoration, in the case of procedures reversing the damage caused by female genital cutting.

People with congenital adrenal hyperplasia may also undergo this to correct genital anatomy or complications of the condition.^[1]

It is rarely performed on cisgender women for cosmetic reasons.

Clitoroplasty in GRS

As part of reassignment surgery for trans women, there are several ways to create a clitoris out of existing tissues. The most common method in practice, is to separate the glans of the penis from the paired erectile tissues, and reduce in size to simulate a cissexual woman's clitoris.

The success rate for the creation of a clitoris for trans women varies greatly. The most common cause of failure is the necrosis of the tissue from lack of blood supply. The greatest non health risk is damage to the pudendal nerves, if they are severed, the chance at clitoral orgasm is greatly reduced.

Most transsexual women's bodies readily accept the relocation of glans penile tissue in the area of a cissexual woman's clitoris. The glans tissue derived clitoris (using simple dissection techniques), is not a perfect emulation of the clitoris of a cissexual woman because of the difference in color, shape, and sexual response. Dr Suporn uses a modified technique that preserves some erectile tissue to simulate sexual response and uses foreskin to cover the glans tissue (for aesthetic reasons).

An alternate technique, involved the use of urethral spongiform as a makeshift clitoral mound. This allowed for better simulation of female sexual response at the cost of the clitoris being not as sensate as one derived from the glans penis. Urine leakage was a notable complication with this technique.^[2]

Older genital reassignment techniques made no attempt at the creation of a clitoris at all. The glans of the penis was sutured in the most distal (inner) part of the neovagina to simulate a cervix. The late Stanley Biber preferred this method.

References

1. ^ Clitoroplasty in Intersex: a New Technique 1998 British Journal of Urology, 1981 original publication
2. ^ A New Method for Clitoroplasty in Male-to-Female Sex Reassignment Surgery by Fang, Rong-Hwang; Chen, Cheng-Feng; Ma, Shiuh (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, April 1992 - Volume 89 - Issue 4)

• Clitoroplasty: past, present and future by W. L. Lean, J. M. Hutson, A. V. Deshpande and S. Grover (Pediatric Surgery International, Volume 23 Number 4, April 2007)
• Corona Glans Clitoroplasty and Urethropreputial Vestibuloplasty in Male-to-Female Transsexuals: The Vulval Aesthetic Refinement by the Andalusia Gender Team (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: November 2004 - Volume 114 - Issue 6 - pp 1543–1550)

External links

• In the US, Hope for Victims of Genital Mutilation by Eve Conant, Newsweek
• Surgery Offers New Hope For Victims of Female Genital Mutilation by Victoria Fine, Huffington Post