One of the most common birth defects in baby boys isn't discussed, never seen in media and barely mentioned in medical educational material.
In the era where transgender reassignment surgery, erectile dysfunction and incontinence are openly discussed, two Medical City Frisco specialists are helping break up the barriers, stigma and taboo regarding penile birth defects.
Hypospadias (hi-poe-SPAY-dee-us) is really a birth defect of your penis, in which the urinary opening doesn't develop properly and opens lower around the penis rather than at the tip. This birth defect happens in approximately One in 200 births and can cause problems with urination and future sexual activity, as well as emotional distress later. Coupled with related penis abnormalities, hypospadias is the most common birth defect in boys, Three times more common than cleft lip and Down's syndrome, which affect One in 700 births. More specifically, every single day, 12 babies are born with cleft lip, 16 with down syndrome and 27 with hypospadias.
\”Increasing hypospadias awareness can dramatically enhance the lives of patients and families affected by it. Just realizing it exists helps remove the shame and isolation that occur when people are told their choosing includes a penis problem,\” says Nichol Bush, MD. \”Better awareness means access to better care.\”
Nichol Bush, MD, and Warren Snodgrass, MD, both pediatric urologists at Medical City Frisco, would be the leading international experts in repairing hypospadias and other penal deformities. The surgical team has performed hundreds of corrective surgeries on patients from around the globe. Their surgical results are widely published and recognized as among the best in the world.
\”This is an extremely complicated, delicate and sophisticated surgery,\” says Warren Snodgrass, MD, \”It is important to get it right the very first time.\”
In 1994, Dr. Snodgrass reported his own surgical method for repairing hypospadias, now widely known as the Snodgrass Repair. The strategy restores normal appearance and performance to the penis, with very few complications – making it the most typical operation to correct hypospadias worldwide. Patients through the United States and most 25 countries have traveled to North Texas seeking Doctors Snodgrass and Bush for their highly specialized expertise.
\”When our son, Maddox, was created with hypospadias, i was devastated,\” says Deb Smith. \”We had not heard of it and didn't know what to do for help and support. It had been very stressful emotionally on many of us for quite some time. We followed our pediatrician's advice and had our infant son's condition repaired by an urologist who did not have much knowledge about surgery and the results were disastrous. Actually, it caused further damage.\”
Two families with sons successfully treated by Drs. Snodgrass and Bush are sharing their private medical stories with the public the very first time.
\”After two failed surgeries by our local pediatric urologist to fix our son's hypospadias, i was referred to Drs. Snodgrass and Bush,\” said Apryl Bundy, who travelled from Louisiana for strategy to her son. \”Unlike most pediatric doctors who only perform this surgery once or twice a year, Drs. Snodgrass and Bush perform this surgery daily and have had positive results rates with their perfected technique.\”
The families, along with Doctors Snodgrass and Bush, hope that speaking openly relating to this common condition will heighten understanding of hypospadias and potentially help other families struggling alone.
Families sharing their experiences with Doctors Snodgrass and Bush: