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A. This leaflet includes advice from consensus panels, the British Association of Urological
Surgeons, the Department of Health and evidence based sources; it is, therefore, a
reflection of best practice in the UK. It is intended to supplement any advice you may
already have been given by your urologist or nurse specialist as well as the surgical team
at Addenbrooke’s. Alternative treatments are outlined below and can be discussed in more
detail with your urologist or specialist nurse.
A. Incision of the top of the foreskin to relieve tightness preventing retraction.
A. Circumcision, observation.
A. You will usually be admitted on the same day as your surgery. You will normally undergo
pre assessment on the day of your clinic or an appointment for pre assessment will be
made from clinic, to assess your general fitness, to screen for the carriage of MRSA and to
perform some baseline investigations. After admission, you will be seen by members of the
medical team which may include the consultant, junior urology doctors and your named
nurse.
You will be asked not to eat or drink for six hours before surgery and, immediately before
the operation, you may be given a pre-medication by the anaesthetist which will make you
dry-mouthed and pleasantly sleepy.
Please be sure to inform your urologist in advance of your surgery if you have any of the
following:
A. Either a full general anaesthetic (where you will be asleep throughout the procedure) or a
spinal anaesthetic (where you are awake but unable to feel anything from the waist down)
will be used. All methods minimise pain; your anaesthetist will explain the pros and cons of
each type of anaesthetic to you.
The foreskin will be divided on the top of the penis leaving the head of the penis partly
exposed.
A. You may experience discomfort for a few days after the procedure but painkillers will be
given to you to take home. Absorbable stitches are normally used which do not require
removal.
Vaseline should be applied to the tip of the penis and around the stitch line to prevent the
penis from adhering to your underclothes and it is advisable to wear loose clothing.
Passing urine will be painless and will not be affected by the operation.
The average hospital stay is one day.
A. Most procedures have a potential for side effects. You should be reassured that, although
all these complications are well recognised, the majority of patients do not suffer any
problems after a urological procedure.
Please use the check boxes to tick off individual items when you are happy that they have
been discussed to your satisfaction
Common (greater than one in 10)
Occasional (between one in 10 and one in 50)
Rare (less than one in 50)
A. When you leave hospital, you will be given a discharge summary of your admission. This
holds important information about your inpatient stay and your operation. If, in the first few
weeks after your discharge, you need to call your GP for any reason or to attend another
hospital, please take this summary with you to allow the doctors to see details of your
treatment. This is particularly important if you need to consult another doctor within a few
days of your discharge.
It will be at least 10 days before healing occurs and you may return to work when you are
comfortable enough and your GP is satisfied with your progress.
You should refrain from sexual intercourse for a minimum of four weeks.
A. There will be marked swelling of the penis after a few days. This will last three to four days
and will then subside but do not be alarmed because this is expected. If you develop a
temperature, increased redness, throbbing or drainage at the site of the operation, please
contact your GP.
A. You will not normally be given a follow up outpatient appointment after a dorsal slit of the
foreskin unless this is felt necessary by your consultant.
A. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fit to drive following your surgery.
You do not normally need to notify the DVLA unless you have a medical condition that will
last for longer than three months after your surgery and may affect your ability to drive. You
should, however, check with your insurance company before returning to driving. Your
doctors will be happy to provide you with advice on request.
A. Same sex bays and bathrooms are offered in all wards except critical care and theatre
recovery areas where the use of high tech equipment and/or specialist one to one care is
required.
A. For most operations, you do not need to have the hair around the site of the operation
removed. However, sometimes the healthcare team need to see or reach your skin and if
this is necessary they will use an electric hair clipper with a single-use disposable head, on
the day of the surgery.
Please do not shave the hair yourself or use a razor to remove hair, as this can increase
the risk of infection. Your healthcare team will be happy to discuss this with you.
References
NICE clinical guideline No 74: Surgical site infection (October 2008); Department of Health:
High Impact Intervention No 4: Care bundle to preventing surgical site infection (August
2007)
A. There is no specific research in this area at the moment but all operative procedures
performed in the department are subject to rigorous audit at a monthly audit and clinical
governance meeting.