Development issues such as trapped and webbed penis occasionally occur in boys.
A trapped or webbed penis may not always require any surgical treatment, but sometimes they do. Patients and their parents should seek pediatric urology evaluation to determine best treatment.
With a trapped (or buried) penis, the shaft of the penis is trapped below the surface of the penile skin. This term can also refer to a penis that is not completely trapped but is somewhat obscured or buried in the local tissue nearby.
A boy with a trapped penis may be required to sit down to urinate, as their penis does not protrude far enough to urinate standing up.
There are several different causes for a trapped penis. A poorly performed circumcision can occasionally cause this to happen. If the condition occurs after the newborn period, age, obesity, droopy skin, or chronic inflammation may be the root cause.
A simple procedure can typically restore the penis to its normal place and function. The surgery is usually done as an outpatient procedure and can dramatically improve both the appearance and function of the penis.
A webbed penis is one of the conditions that cause the penis to look trapped or buried. The skin of the scrotum can be attached at an abnormal place on the penile shaft. This can make the penis appear shorter than it actually is. A simple detachment of this skin may be all that is necessary to fix this condition.
If there are concerns for trapped (buried) or webbed penis, routine newborn circumcision should be deferred until the patient is evaluated by a pediatric urologist. This is because the foreskin can be used constructively in the surgery used to fix a trapped penis, so removing it can complicate the reconstructive process.