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Microphallus (Micropenis) and How It Is Treated

Anastasios D. Kalantzis, Surgeon Urologist-Andrologist

 

The term "microphallus" is used to describe a small in size penis.

 

One of the major factors that creates problems in the sexual life and self esteem of a man is the size of his penis, many times affecting his family and social environment and creating serious psychological disorders, even impotence.

 

In many cases, the view that men have regarding the "insufficient, small penis" is not in accord with the medical evaluation. There is no rule defining what the normal size of the penis should be. The consensus on a "normal" size of a fully erect penis is 12-14.5cm in length and 8-10cm in circumference.

 

The condition may be caused by hereditary predisposition, hormonal disorders or genetic abnormalities in the fetus. In most of the cases microphallus is identified in the neonatal period, but it can also be diagnosed later in childhood, where we refer mostly to pre-adolescent boys.

 

Bent penis, Peyronie's disease, total (radical) prostatectomy in cases of cancer and administration of various pharmaceutical substances are some of the causes of penile size reduction in older age groups.

 

Researches and opinions are contradictory. There are men who do not thing that their "small" in size penis is an obstacle to their sexual pleasure and the satisfaction of their sexual partner, contrary to others who report that not only do they have problems in providing satisfaction to their partner, but they also have erectile problems during intercourse. However, scientific research has shown that, unless we are dealing with extreme cases, it is not the size of the penis but the technique and experience of the man that ensure the pleasure and satisfaction of the sexual partner.

 

The treatment of this problem consists of surgical operation, in combination with administration of medication and proper psychotherapeutic support. Today microphallus is successfully treated with penis enlargement interventions, that is penis lengthening and penis widening.

 

With penis lengthening the inner part (the base) of the organ becomes visible. The incisions are not performed on the penis but in the pubic area, without any intervention to the vessels and nerves of the penis. The operation takes approximately one hour and is carried out with spinal or epidural anaesthesia. There can be no prediction regarding the penile lengthening preoperatively. It usually ranges between 2 to 4cm, and the result is permanent.

 

With penis widening we achieve increase of the penile diameter by injecting material between the Bucks fascia and the superficial (Dartos) fascia achieving 30%-40% widening.

 

The operation takes approximately one hour and is carried out with spinal or epidural anaesthesia. The permanence of the result depends on the injected material. These operations do not only achieve repair and a good result on the aesthetic level, but the main goal is to give a solution to the functional part of the problem. For these reasons the patient must consult the special Urologist-Andrologist in order to have a correct diagnosis and the proper results.