Patient's question:
The child was checked in the hospital at the age of 4-5 and diagnosed with phimosis. Now he is 7 years old, and he has never been treated for it. Lately, the child has been saying that it hurts a little when he urinates.Doctor's answer:
Children with phimosis should be treated as early as possible, and it is generally best to do so before they start school. Which types of phimosis require treatment? Physiological phimosis in infants and young children, if there is no inflammation of the glans penis or foreskin, and no difficulty urinating, can be observed. For school-aged children and those with infection or urinary difficulties who have phimosis, outpatient (foreskin dilation) can be tried first to expose the glans penis, clean out smegma, and prevent recurrence of foreskin adhesion. It is also essential to instruct parents to immediately restore the foreskin after dilation, otherwise it may lead to paraphimosis. In the past, phimosis in children was generally treated with surgery, but now many children can be cured with conservative treatment. Only a small number of cases require circumcision.