Gender reassignment surgery for male primary transsexuals

Abstract

This article describes certain innovations and aspects of surgical technique together with some surgical assessments of results in a series of 58 operations for gender reassignment undertaken by the author over the past 24 years. The salient new features described are: (i) to prevent the early and late vaginal contractures that commonly follow previously accepted methods of neo-vagina construction, the technique of dissecting a new vaginal canal has been improved, and an improved skin graft (double-layered) is added to the peno-scroto-perineal flaps used to line the vaginal canal - these split-skin grafts, superimposed upon a meshed thick dermal graft, do not contract nearly as much as solitary splitskin grafts; (ii) the vagina is suspended laterally by the testicular cords, threaded above the superior pubic rami; and (iii) repeated intermittent use ofa vaginal vibrator is substituted for an indwelling vaginal mould, resulting in better compliance and a more pliable vagina.

S Afr Med J 1993; 83: 347-349