Patient's question:
My son is almost one year old now. I've noticed that when he urinates, it doesn't spray far and flows along his scrotum. Occasionally, it sprays a bit. He also weighs over 20 pounds. The urine he urinates doesn't have a strong odor or anything, and the color is similar to that of other children's. I want to ask the doctor what might be wrong.What kind of help do I need: Why doesn't his urine shoot outward? Is there any medical condition?
Doctor's answer:
After a child is born, whether it is the hospital or the parents, both should carefully examine the growth and development of the child's "penis." Under normal circumstances, the urethral opening should be located at the tip of the penis. When the child urinates, the penis becomes erect, and the urine is expelled. However, if the urethral opening is not at the tip of the penis but instead opens at some point on the ventral side of the penis, and if the child's "penis" cannot stand upright and bends upward when urinating, this is a congenital deformity known as hypospadias in medical terms. In penile head type hypospadias, treatment may not be necessary. However, the other three types of hypospadias can interfere with urination or sexual intercourse in adulthood, and they may also cause psychological stress in the child.