Urethrocutaneous fistula

Urethrocutaneous fistula is a complication of circumcision. It rarely, if ever, occurs in intact males. Urethrocutaneous fistula is an opening of the urethra on the ventral side of the penis.

The human penis is made up of three columns of tissue: two corpora cavernosa lie next to each other on the dorsal side and one corpus spongiosum lies between them on the ventral side. The urethra passes through the corpus spongiosum near the ventral surface of the penis shaft. Occasionally, during a circumcision mishap, the urethra is opened on the ventral surface to create the urethrocutaneous fistula.

Case reports

Limaye & Hancock (1968) reported a case in which the fistula near the site of the frenulum had been misdiagnosed as "hypospadias." The authors commented on the difficulty of repairing the fistula.