Glossary of Terms Related to Hypospadias and Epispadias

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• Bladder exstrophy - A condition where all or part of the bladder forms outside the abdominal cavity.  Often associated with epispadias.
  
• Catheter - A tube inserted into the bladder via the urethra to allow urine to discharge into a bag.  A catheter or drippy stent is often left in place for a period of time after hypospadias or epispadias surgery.
  
• Circumcision - Removal of the foreskin (prepuce) covering the glans.  Some cultures practice circumcision as a matter of routine on male infants.  The foreskin can be useful in constructing a neo-urethra during hypospadias or epispadias repair surgery, and so it is normally recommended that infants diagnosed with hypospadias or epispadias not be circumcised.
  
• Coronal hypospadias - One of the milder forms of hypospadias.  While the opening is not at the tip of the penis, it is just out of place at the edge of the glans.
  
• Chordee - A downward bending of the penis that is a common feature in cases of hypospadias. This downward bending is most apparent when the penis is erect.  In epispadias, chordee results in an upward bending instead of downward.
  
• Cystoscopy - Investigation of the bladder and urethra, using a small tube with fiberoptics inserted through the urethral meatus.
  
• Corpus cavernosa – Two tubes of sponge-like tissue that surround the upper or dorsal surface of the penis that fill will blood to produce an erection.
  
• Corpus spongiosum – Sponge-like tube that surrounds the urethra as it passes the length of the penis. This tube also fills with blood to participate in the erectile process. It may be shortened because of the shorter length of the urethra in the person with hypospadias.
  
• Cryptorchidism - Undescended testicle. A condition in the male where the testis does not descend into the scrotum and is left in the abdomen.  If the testis is not brought down into the scrotum or removed from the abdomen, there is an increased risk of the testis becoming cancerous.
  
• Dilation or Dilatation - Stretching the urethra in order to improve urine flow. Often used to rectify strictures.
  
• Diverticulum (plural: diverticula) - A possible complication of surgery, resulting in ballooning of the urethra while urinating or collecting semen following an ejaculation. 
  
• Dorsal hooded foreskin - In the majority of hypospadias cases, the foreskin does not completely envelop or cover the glans, and only an upper 'hood' of skin is present.
  
• Dorsal - The back side of the body, or (in the context of hypospadias and epispadias) the top side of the penis. This is where the urethral meatus is located in cases of epispadias.
  
• Drippy stent - An alternative to a catheter, often used when performing hypospadias surgery on infants.  Instead of discharging into a bag, the tube is open ended and discharges urine into the child's diaper.
  
• Ejaculation - The expulsion of semen from the seminal vesicles where the semen fluid is produced. This expulsion is normally caused when muscles at the base of the penis contract during orgasm. Ejaculation normally occurs through the urethral meatus, although it can go back into the bladder instead (see retrograde ejaculation.
  
• Epididymitis - Inflammation of the epididymis, a tangled mass of small tubes that transport sperm from the testes to the ejaculatory duct.
  
• Epispadias - A problem in development of the urethra much less common than hypospadias.  In the case of epispadias, the opening  (urethral meatus) is somewhere on the top side  (dorsal surface) of the penis.  Surgery is more frequently indicated than in hypospadias and usually the surgery is more complex to perform.
  
• Erection - The response of the body in the penis when the corpus cavernosa of the penis become engorged with blood to form a firm penis. These tubes fill when the arterially supplied blood goes into the penis but can not leave the penis because the veins that drain the penis have become narrowed because of sexual arousal.
  
• Fistula - A condition where, after surgery, holes appear in the repaired urethra.  Depending on the severity, this can result in dribbling and or spraying from the shaft of the penis while urinating. These can resolve spontaneously but often need to be closed surgically to stop the leakage.
  
• Frenulum - A thin web of skin that joins the inside of the foreskin to the underside of the glans, similar to the web of skin that joins the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. The frenulum is often absent in cases of hypospadias.
  
• Foreskin - Also known as the prepuce. The flap of skin that covers the glans of the penis.  Often in men with hypospadias, the foreskin is not complete on the undersurface of the penis and forms a skin fold called a dorsal hood.
  
• Glans - The head of the penis.
  
• Hermaphrodite - Outdated terminology for Intersex.
  
• Hypospadias - A problem in development of the urethra that results in the opening (urethral meatus) being located on the underside (ventral surface) of the penis. On occasion, this opening is also in the perineum.  In some instances, the opening is a large slit, running to the point where the urethral meatus would normally be located.
  
• Intersex - Having genitals which are neither obviously male nor obviously female.  Hypospadias alone is not considered as an intersex condition, however it may contribute to an individial being considered as intersex if other factors are present.
  
• IVP (Intravenous Pyleogram) - An X-Ray opaque dye is injected into the bloodstream, and X-Ray images are taken as the kidneys filter the dye from the bloodstream into the bladder.
  
• Meatus - See Urethral Meatus.
  
• Micro-phallus (micro-penis) - A shorter penis, usually less than three inches when fully erect.
  
• Neo-urethra - A new section of urethra, fabricated during surgery using skin from elsewhere (most commonly the foreskin).   In some cases, it is possible to directly connect the existing sections of urethra, and so a neo-urethra is not required.
  
• Perineum - The area between the scrotum and anus.
  
• Phallus - Penis.
  
• Prepuce - See Foreskin.
  
• Penoscrotal hypospadias - A severe forms of hypospadias, with the opening towards or at the base of the shaft of the penis.
  
• Retrograde Ejaculation - An ejaculation where the semen goes into the bladder instead of being propelled through the urethra of the penis out the  urethral meatus.
  
• Scrotum - The sacks of loose skin that hold the testes and regulate temperature of the testes.
  
• Semen - The combination of seminal fluid and sperm that make up the ejaculate.
  
• Skin Bridge - A bridge of skin between the glans and the shaft of the penis.  Can be a side effect of corrective surgery or in some instances circumcision.
  
• Sperm - The reproductive cell of males.  Produced by the testes and expelled out of the body in the semen.
  
• Stenosis - The narrowing of a tube anywhere in the body. In the context of hypospadias or epispadias, it refers to a narrowing of the urethra.
  
• Stricture - A narrowing of the urethra, most commonly occurring in the neo-urthra section after surgery.  If the stricture severely restricts the flow of urine, it can lead to further complications such as UTIs and diverticula.
  
• Subcoronal Hypospadias - See coronal hypospadias.
  
• Tethering - A tying or binding.  The penile curvature associated with chordee may be caused by tethering.
  
• Testicle - See Testis.
  
• Testis (plural: testes) - The male gonad, usually paired, located in the scrotum, that produces sperm. Often called testicle.
  
• Torsion - A twisting of the shaft of the penis, so that the glans is rotated from its normal orientation.
  
• Undescended testicle - see Cryptorchidism.
  
• Urethra - The membranous tube that connects the bladder to the tip of the penis and carries urine or semen.
  
• Urethral meatus - The opening of the urethra most often on the tip of the penis through which urine exits the penis, commonly known as the 'pee hole.'
  
• UTI - Urinary tract infection. Most commonly, it affects the bladder and urethra, resulting in increased frequency and urgency of urination, often with a burning sensation while urinating.  In some instances, the infection can spread to the kidneys, causing severe flu-like symptoms.
  

• Ventral - The front side of the body. For the penis, the ventral surface is the underside. This is usually where the urethral meatus is located in cases of hypospadias.