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'''Oedema''' , also known as '''edema''' in the United States, or more properly '''lymphoedema''' , "is caused by the capilliary blood vessels passing out water into the surrounding tissues, and so increasing the intercellular fluid content."<ref>The Free Dictionary. q.v. [https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/oedema Oedema].</ref> It manifests itself as a swelling of the [[penis ]] after [[adult circumcision]].<ref name="williams1993">{{REFjournal

|init=N

|first2=Leela

}}</ref> It is believed to be more common after [[adolescent and adult circumcision]] than after [[circumcision]] of the newborn.

[[Circumcision ]] severs certain veins that return blood to the heart. When return of the blood to the heart is impaired, then lymph builds up in the penis, and results in [[lymphoedema]]. It can take months for new lymph pathways to form so that the lymph can flow out of the [[penis]].

[[George W. Kaplan |Kaplan]] (1983) reports that skin grafts are sometimes required.<ref name="kaplan1983">{{REFjournal

|first=George W.

|author-link=George W. Kaplan