Meatitis
Meatitis is inflammation of the urinary meatus which is the opening of the urethra at the tip of the glans penis.[1]
Meatitis occurs in circumcised male infants because of the loss of the natural protection provided by the foreskin.[2] Ammonia forms in diapers (nappies) after the urine is exposed to air. Circumcised infant boys are kept in ammoniacal diapers for many long hours, so the exposed meatus suffers and becomes inflamed from the action of the ammonia.[3]
Tuncer & Erten (2017) collected information regarding complications of circumcision from hospital records in Turkey. They reported one case of meatitis.[4] This is highly suspect and deceptive because meatitis is a late complication that would be unlikely to develop until after the patients leave hospital and so would not be captured by hospital records.
Meatitis may progress to meatal stenosis.
References
- ↑
(2012). Meatus
, The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 19 January 2021. - ↑
Van Howe RS. Incidence of meatal stenosis following neonatal circumcision in a primary care setting. Clin Pediatr (Phila). January 2006; 45(1): 49-54. PMID. DOI. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ↑ Brennemann J. The ulcerated meatus in the circumcised child. Am J Dis Child. 1921; 21: 38-47. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- ↑ Nusrel AA, Erten EE. Examination of short and long term complications of thermocautery, plastic clamping, and surgical circumcision techniques. Pak J Med Sci. November 2017; 33(6): 1418-23. PMID. PMC. DOI. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
