Open Access

RESIDENT’S CORNER

Surgical management of retained needle in a transgender woman’s phallus

Shu Pan¹, Maria J. D’Amico², Ricardo Munarriz¹

1 Department of Urology, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
2 Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Address correspondence to Maria J D’Amico, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02119, USA

Canadian Journal of Urology 2019, 26(4), 9867-9870.

Abstract

Intracavernosal self-injection (ICI) is an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction. A rare but serious complication is needle breakage. We report an unusual case of a 51-year-old transgender female patient who did not desire gender-affirming surgery, and used ICI to treat her longstanding erectile dysfunction. She presented to the emergency department 2 months after needle breakage during ICI, and was subsequently successfully treated with intraoperative fluoroscopy and needle fragment extraction. It is important to recognize transgender patients may desire to preserve sexual function, and for providers to engage in discussion surrounding sexual health throughout treatment for gender dysphoria.

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