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Preliminary Exploration of a New Clitoral Hood Classification System and Treatment Strategy

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  • Genital Surgery
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Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Increasing attention has been given to clitoral hoods in recent years, but few studies have been conducted on the classification and treatment strategies of clitoral hood hypertrophy. The purpose of this article is to introduce a new system of clitoral hood classification based on relevant anatomy and make recommendations for clitoral hood reduction.

Methods

The clitoral hood region is divided into the central zone (zone C) and the lateral zone (zone L). According to the anatomical characteristics of each zone, patients can be divided into 5 types: standard form, central hypertrophy, lateral hypertrophy, composite hypertrophy and special type. Central hypertrophy is further divided into wide and long clitoral hoods, and horizontal and vertical redundancy are addressed using bilateral clitoral hood triangular skin resection and inverted horizontal V-shaped skin resection, respectively. Lateral hypertrophy can be treated with vertically oriented excision. Composite hypertrophy is corrected by combining these methods to remove redundant tissue depending on the situation.

Results

1135 patients were classified according to the new classification system and 789 participants were given corresponding treatment measures. Thirty-four patients (4.3%) experienced complications, and 15 (1.9%) underwent revision surgery. Six months after the procedure, clitoral hood images improved significantly without paresthesia, and the overall satisfaction rate of the patients regarding clitoral hood reduction was 95.7%.

Conclusions

The clitoral prepuce is an important part of the aesthetic unit of female vulva. The new clitoral hood classification strategy systematically summarizes the anatomical characteristics of the clitoral hood and clearly makes recommendations for surgical options.

Level of evidence IV

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the patients, who gave their informed consent for publication.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gynecological Plastic Surgery Department, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, No. 33 Ba-Da Chu Road, Shi Jing Shan District, Beijing, 100144, People’s Republic of China

    Meichen Liu, Qiang Li, Senkai Li, Yu Zhou, Yujiao Cao, Yilin Li, Lu Yu & Fengyong Li

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  1. Meichen Liu
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  2. Qiang Li
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  3. Senkai Li
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  4. Yu Zhou
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  5. Yujiao Cao
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  6. Yilin Li
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  7. Lu Yu
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  8. Fengyong Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fengyong Li.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declared no potential conflict of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Liu, M., Li, Q., Li, S. et al. Preliminary Exploration of a New Clitoral Hood Classification System and Treatment Strategy. Aesth Plast Surg 46, 3080–3093 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-022-02874-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-022-02874-y

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