Webbed Penis

Abstract

The webbed penis is a deformity in which a web of skin obscures the penoscrotal angle in an otherwise normal-sized penile shaft; another term penoscrotal fusion has been also used [1]. This condition can be either congenital or acquired. The latter is known to be more common and mainly iatrogenic, and the representative example was the deformity caused by excessive skin removal during circumcision. The former is relatively uncommon and a disease of penile and scrotal hypoplasia. The embryological explanation of webbed penis may be that there is a partial failure of the posterior migration of the labioscrotal folds [2]. This anomaly can be also explained embryologically on the basis of a disturbance in the development of the prepuce [3]. Initially the glans penis is devoid of any ectodermal covering. As development continues, the ectodermic layer on the dorsal aspect of the penis grows and ultimately covers the entire penis. An error in this phase of development may cause penoscrotal fusion [4]. A prospective survey demonstrated that the webbed penis was found in 4 % of babies (236/5,881) [5].