Objective Reassignment surgery of the
female-to-male transsexual is a rarely performed surgical procedure that
should involve a gynecologist's consultation and expertise. This study
examines the experience with this type of surgery at Baskent University
Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, from the gynecologists' point of view.
Study Design Eight patients
underwent laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy, bilateral
salpingo-oophorectomy and total vaginectomy, followed by phallic
construction. Patients were followed up for 9 to 30 months post-surgery.
Results The average operative time
for total vaginectomy and laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy and
bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was 2 h and 20 min. The estimated average
blood loss was 250 ml. Other than one bladder perforation, which was
repaired immediately and healed uneventfully, we encountered no operative or
postoperative complications linked to the gynecologic surgery.
Conclusion Laparoscopy seems to be
useful in female-to-male transsexual surgery in allowing the preservation of
structures vital for phallic construction, such as inferior epigastric
vessels and the rectus abdominis muscle. The application of vaginectomy
awaits justification through long-term follow-up studies of transsexuals who
have undergone colpocleisis.
Citation:
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 1999 Nov;87(1):35-7
an article published on the Internet by PubMed <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/>
