A hypospadia is where the urethral meatus opens on the ventral aspect of the penile shaft, at a point proximal to the normal site.
It has an incidence of about one in every 300 male births.
Presentation is variable, with the severity ranging from a glandular orifice to scrotal and perineal types.
Surgical repair is indicated if the boy is incapable of a socially acceptable urinary stream when standing, or where the deformity may prevent normal sexual intercourse. Surgical correction is generally best achieved at 12-18 months or after 3 years depending on penile size etc. The majority of cases are treatable by a single stage correction but revisional surgery may be necessary.
Note that the combination of hypospadias and cryptorchidism should alert the clinician to the possibility of female virilisation.
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