Is there an age limit for hypospadias repair surgery?

Hypospadias is a congenital condition in which the urinary opening (meatus) is located on the underside of the penis instead of at the tip. Hypospadias repair surgery is a well-established and successful procedure that can be performed in infants, children, adolescents, and adults. However, choosing the best age for hypospadias repair plays an important role in healing, recovery, and long-term outcomes.

What Is the Best Age for Hypospadias Surgery?

Most expert hypospadias surgeons recommend performing surgery between 6 and 18 months of age. Surgery before 3 years of age is considered ideal, and if someone misses this period, surgery before 8 years of age is still strongly recommended if early repair was not possible.

Hypospadias Surgery in Infants (6–18 Months)

The ideal age for hypospadias surgery is between 6 and 18 months. At this age:

  • Penile tissues are soft, elastic, and heal faster
  • Scarring is minimal due to high tissue regeneration
  • Infants are unaware of their genitalia and body image
  • There is no psychological impact or memory of surgery

Early hypospadias repair also allows normal toilet training and smooth bladder control development. Post-operative care is easier in infants, as diaper changes simplify wound care and recovery is less stressful for parents.

Pic 1 for blog

Hypospadias Surgery Before 3 Years of Age

If surgery cannot be done in infancy, completing hypospadias repair before 3 years of age still provides excellent results. Children recover well, healing is fast, and long-term functional and cosmetic outcomes remain very good.

Hypospadias Surgery in Older Children

Hypospadias surgery in older children is safe and effective, though recovery can be more challenging.

Older children:

  • Are more aware of their genitalia and may feel shy or anxious
  • Experience more fear and perceived pain after surgery
  • May find dressing changes difficult
  • Sometimes hold urine after catheter removal due to fear of pain

Despite these challenges, healing and success rates remain high when surgery is performed by an experienced hypospadias surgeon.

Hypospadias Surgery in Teenagers

Teenage boys with untreated or failed hypospadias often feel embarrassed and reluctant to undergo surgery. In cases of hypospadias with chordee (penile curvature), we recommend delaying surgery until penile growth is complete. Avoiding surgery during active growth may prevent interference with natural penile development

Hypospadias Surgery in Adults

Hypospadias repair in adults is possible and can be highly successful. However, recovery is slower compared to children because:

  • Adult penile skin is thicker and less elastic
  • Healing takes longer
  • Pubic hair can affect wound care
  • Night-time erections may stress sutures and increase complication risk
  • Infection issues are higher
  • Urethral and extra safety supra-pubic catheter are also needed.

Even in adulthood, good outcomes are achievable in expert hands. Adult hypospadias surgery success rates at Hypospadias Foundation India are over 95%, which are best in the world.

Is There an Age Limit for Hypospadias Surgery?

There is no upper age limit for hypospadias surgery. The success of repair depends more on the experience of the hypospadias surgeon than the age of the patient. With proper evaluation and surgical expertise, excellent results can be achieved even in adulthood.

Importance of Choosing an Expert Hypospadias Surgeon

Before planning hypospadias surgery, it is essential to consult a specialist hypospadias surgeon. An experienced surgeon will:

  • Carefully examine the child or adult
  • Assess severity, chordee, and previous surgeries
  • Recommend the best timing and surgical technique

At Hypospadias Foundation, children and adults from over 30 countries undergo hypospadias repair. The oldest successfully treated patient was a 50-year-old man with failed hypospadias repair and urethral stricture, operated without complications. This highlights the importance of choosing a specialized center for hypospadias treatment.

Dr A K Singal is a highly experienced and internationally renowned hypospadias surgeon in India, widely regarded as one of the leading experts in hypospadias repair for both children and adults. He has dedicated his professional life to the treatment of complex and failed hypospadias cases, helping patients achieve excellent functional and cosmetic outcomes.

With decades of focused experience in primary and redo hypospadias surgery, Dr Singal’s expertise has contributed to consistently high success rates in infants, older children, adolescents, and adults with hypospadias.

Dr Ashwitha Shenoy is an expert pediatric surgeon with a special interest in pediatric urology and hypospadias surgery. Her training and experience in managing hypospadias in children ensure meticulous surgical care, age-appropriate planning, and excellent long-term outcomes.

Together, Dr A K Singal and Dr Ashwitha Shenoy work as a dedicated team to provide comprehensive hypospadias treatment in India. Their combined expertise allows them to manage simple to complex hypospadias cases, including failed repairs and adult hypospadias, delivering some of the best outcomes for hypospadias surgery in India.

Contact us:

For appointment kindly contact us at the contact details given below.

MITR hospital & Hypospadias Foundation, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India – Tue/Saturday 4:00pm-6:00pm, Call for appointments: +91-6262840940. Or email us at hypospadiasfoundationindia@gmail.com

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    From Dhaka, Bangladesh to Navi Mumbai, India: In search for a cure – Story of Adult hypospadias repair surgery

    Hypospadias is one of the most common urological anomalies in boys. While 80% of all hypospadias are mild and of distal or midpenile, 20% are proximal hypospadias. Severe varieties like scrotal hypospadias form only 5% of total burden of hypospadias. Severe hypospadias such as scrotal hypospadias often have associated chordee (bent penis) and this may be very severe too posing a challenge for the hypospadias surgeon. We have realized in last few years that making the penis straight (chordee correction) is THE MOST IMPORTANT step of hypospadias repair procedure. While most of the severe scrotal hypospadias are also repaired in a single stage (almost 90% are suitable for a single stage urethroplasty), in 10% of the children the anomaly is so severe especially due to severe chordee that two stage repair may be better for an optimal long term outcome.

    Master R.P. was born with scrotal hypospadias, severe chordee in Patna, Bihar and was advised to undergo surgery after 1 year of age. The parents went to multiple doctors in Patna, Delhi and finally came to consult Dr A.K.Singal, renowned Hypospadias surgeon at MITR Hospital, Navi Mumbai. On examination, the child had a severe scrotal hypospadias, severe chordee (almost 90 degrees) and abnormally fused skin of scrotum to the penis. This almost looked like a trapped hypospadias penis due to skin shortage. Dr Singal discussed in detail with parents that such a severe hypospadias may require hypospadias treatment in stages. Due to the severity it may be impossible to correct all the defects in one surgery. Also the penis length may have got shortened and cosmetic result would also been suboptimal.

    Mr T.R., now 30 years old, was born in Dhaka city in Bangladesh with a urological anomaly called Hypospadias in which the urinary opening is on the underside of the penis rather than the tip. Hypospadias also leads to a downward curvature of the penis called Chordee. Hypospadias always needs surgery, a specialized procedure called Urethroplasty which is done by trained Pediatric Urologist surgeons in childhood itself. Unfortunately, due to lack of awareness and non-availability of Pediatric Urologist doctor in Bangladesh, his parents did not get any surgery done for him. Mr T.R. was a good student and did postgraduate in commerce and got a job with an international bank. He had always thought something was abnormal with his penis and hence started searching for specialist doctor for hypospadias surgery. He found out about Bumrungrad hospital in Thailand and Hypospadias Foundation at MITR Hospital in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. He sent his medical records to both the places but after exchanging a few emails with Dr A.K.Singal, Pediatric Urologist who managed Hypospadias Foundation, decided to travel to Navi Mumbai for his treatment. He came to Kharghar in September 2014 and after a few tests for fitness for surgery and anesthesia underwent Urethroplasty surgery under care of a team of two surgeons: Dr A.K.Singal, Pediatric Urologist and Dr Manish Dubey, Adult urologist. This is the same team which started Hypospadias foundation 6 years back. The whole surgery was performed in one stage and took three hours. T.R. also had a significant chordee and chordee correction surgery was done at the same time as hypospadias repair procedure. He was discharged to hotel in 2 days. Mr. T.R. recovered well after surgery and the catheter was removed after 14 days. Initially he had a little difficulty in passing urine but settled over the next few weeks.  He has sent us reports of uroflowmetry from Bangladesh and they show a good urine flow of urine from the tip of penis.

    Dr Singal said “Hypospadias is one of the most common birth defect in children but due to stigma attached to penile deformity no one talks about it. About 1 lakhs kids are born in India every year with this problem and ideally they should be operated by 1.5 years of age. There are an estimated 5 lakh adults and failed hypospadias surgery cases who are suffering and unable to get a cure as the surgeries 20 years back did not have such good results as we have now. Dr Manish Dubey and I started Hypospadias Foundation in 2008 as these children and families need lot of counselling and psychological support beyond surgery for full cure. Also the surgery is difficult and complicated, requires lot of patience and skill, and unless the surgeon is focused on taking this complicated issue head on, the results remain suboptimal. At hypospadias Foundation, we provide hypospadias treatment to more than 200 such children and adults every year and they come from all over India and from countries all over the world. Hypospadias Foundation remains world’s first and only organisation dedicated to caring for children and adults with hypospadias.”

    Dr Manish Dubey said “We see lot of adult patients with issues from failed and un-operated hypospadias who come with psychological, infertility and urological issues. They don’t even know where to go for treatment and who is the right doctor for them as this is child urological abnormality which was not treated appropriately many years back. Here at Hypospadias Foundation, our team, does dedicated treatment to make sure that they recover on all aspects and become normal again.”

    Dr Singal added “Adults take longer time to heal after hypospadias surgery. Coupled with spontaneous erections which occur in certain phases of sleep, it is little painful for initial few weeks. Over all the healing may take upto 2-3 months though one can join back work in 3-4 weeks after adult hypospadias surgery.

    Mr T.R. said “I did a lot of research on internet before deciding to go to Navi Mumbai India for my hypospadias surgery. The focus and dedication with which Dr. Singal and Dr. Dubey manage patients with hypospadias is good to see. I am very thankful to Dr. Rajkumar also who took personal care for me when I was recovering. Besides, I found the full team of MITR is so helpful and caring that I didn’t feel uncomfortable during my stay. Especially I should have mentioned the name of Mrs. Emily who is an administrator of MITR Hospital, helped me a lot in every single stage with lovely smile. In terms of my treatment, I found Dr. Singal is very friendly and always listened me with lots of care. His hands on experience and depth of knowledge on this particular field makes him so confident which I liked most. Before my surgery I knew that hypospadias treatment on adult is so complicated thus I was in strain but after meeting Dr. Singal before my surgery made me so relaxed. After my surgery I felt complication while passing urine but Dr. Singal and Dr Dubey immediately managed the situation and solved the problem. Overall, it’s an excellent experience doing my surgery by Dr. Singal. I would strongly recommend Dr. Singal if anyone has been suffering from hypospadias in the adult stage. I would like to congratulate Dr. Singal and his team for doing the outstanding jobs. Wish the team all the very best.”

    About Hypospadias Foundation:

    Hypospadias Foundation is a part of MITR Hospital in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India and registered as a NGO under One Vision Health and Research Foundation. It was started by Dr A.K.Singal and Dr Manish Dubey on 26 Nov, 2008 and has to date treated more than 1000 kids and adults with hypospadias. Patients have come from virtually all states and major cities in India for Hypospadias treatment in Kharghar. Patients have also traveled from countries like Nigeria, Congo, Tanzania, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Greece, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

    Hypospadias Foundation aims to make sure that no child or adult is said no for surgery because of shortage of money or intent. Also, Hypospadias surgery training programs are planned in near future to train more surgeons to take care of Hypospadias Patients in a just, ethical and compassionate way.

    Hypospadias Foundation was covered by yourstory.com, a leading online portal:

    http://social.yourstory.com/2015/01/hypospadias/

    Dr A.K.Singal during Hypospadias surgery

    To get in touch with us please write to hypospadiasfoundationindia@gmail.com or fill up this contact form: Contact Hypospadias Foundation

    Videos of Hypospadias repair surgery by Dr A.K.Singal

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