Flattening the Curve and Cutting Corners-Pearls and Pitfalls Facial Gender Affirming Surgery.

Study Design: This is an experiential article based on the past 6 years experience of providing facial gender confirmation surgery (fGAS) at an academic medical center. Objective: While trainees are getting increasing exposure to aspects of facial gender affirming surgery (fGAS), the gap between trained providers and patients who can access care is currently still widening. A handful of fellowships across the country have emerged that include fGAS in their curriculum, but it will take another decade before the principles of affirming care and surgeries are systematically taught. Fortunately, the surgical principles and techniques required to perform fGAS are part of the skill set of any specialty surgeon trained in adult craniofacial trauma and esthetic facial surgery/rhinoplasty. It is the aim of this article to provide directly applicable knowledge with the goal to assist surgeons who consider offering fGAS in flattening the learning curve and hopefully contribute to increasing the quality of care provided for the transgender and gender diverse population. We hope to provide the reader with a very tangible article with the aims to 1) provide a simple systematic framework for an affirming consultation and preoperative assessment and 2) provide translatable surgical pearls and pitfalls for forehead feminization and gonial angle resection. The frontal sinus set back and gonial angle resection in our opinion are the most unique aspect to fGAS as rhinoplasty, genioplasty and other associated procedures (e.g., fat grafting) follow well established principles. We hope that the value of this article lies in the translatability of the presented principle to any practice setting without the need for VSP, special surgical instruments or technology beyond basic craniofacial tools. Methods: This is an experiential article based on the senior authors 6 year experience offering fGAS in an academic setting. The article is structured to outline both pearls and pittfalls and is supplemented by photographs and a surgical video. Results: A total of 19 pearls and pitfalls are outlined in the article. Conclusions: Facial gender affirming surgery mostly follows established craniofacial and esthetic surgery principles. Forehead feminization and gonial angle feminization are the 2 components that diverge most from established surgical techniques and this article hopefully provides guidance to shorten the learning curve of surgeons.

Complications and management of excessive phallic turgor following gender-affirming phalloplasty.

Gender-affirming phalloplasty involves flap tubularization, placing unique stresses on the vascularity of the flap. Tubularization renders the flap susceptible to postoperative edema that can lead to excessive turgor that, if left untreated, can compromise perfusion and threaten the viability of the phallic reconstruction. This phenomenon has not been formally described in our literature. We aim to define this entity, described here as "Excessive Phallic Turgor" (EPT), and to outline its incidence, frequency of its underlying etiologies, and sequelae. We conducted a single-center, retrospective review of all phalloplasty operations involving flap transfer performed from December 2016 to May 2023. All patients requiring emergent intervention (bedside suture release, reoperation, or both) due to excessive phallic swelling and impending flap compromise were considered to have EPT. Variables compared between groups included underlying etiology (categorized as congestion, hematoma or swelling), patient demographics, flap type and size, management, length of stay, and postoperative outcomes. Over the study period, 147 phalloplasty operations involving flap transfer for shaft creation were performed. Of those, 15% developed EPT. Age, BMI, flap length, flap circumference, flap surface area, single vs multistage operation, flap tubularization (shaft-only vs tube-within-tube), and flap donor site were not significantly different between the cohort that developed EPT and that which did not. Development of EPT was associated with higher rates of phallic hematoma, surgical site infection, shaft fistula requiring repair, and longer inpatient stays. When EPT develops, prompt diagnosis and alleviation of intraphallic pressure are paramount for mitigating short- and long-term morbidity.

Developing Gender-Affirming Surgery Curricula for Plastic Surgery Residency and Fellowship via Delphi Consensus.

BACKGROUND: Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a rapidly growing field within plastic surgery, and residents and fellows must receive appropriate training. However, there are no standardized surgical training curricula. The objective of this study was to identify core curricula within the field of GAS. METHODS: Four GAS surgeons from different academic institutions identified initial curricular statements within six categories: (1) comprehensive GAS care, (2) gender-affirming facial surgery, (3) masculinizing chest surgery, (4) feminizing breast augmentation, (5) masculinizing genital GAS, and (6) feminizing genital GAS. Expert panelists consisting of plastic surgery residency program directors and GAS surgeons were recruited for three rounds of the Delphi-consensus process. The panelists decided whether each curriculum statement was appropriate for residency, fellowship, or neither. A statement was included in the final curriculum when Cronbach α value was greater than or equal to 0.8, meaning that 80% or more of the panel agreed on inclusion. RESULTS: A total of 34 panelists (14 plastic surgery residency program directors and 20 GAS surgeons representing 28 US institutions) participated. The response rate was 85% for the first round, 94% for the second, and 100% for the third. Out of 124 initial curriculum statements, 84 reached consensus for the final GAS curricula, 51 for residency, and 31 for fellowship. CONCLUSIONS: A national consensus on core GAS curriculum for plastic surgery residency and GAS fellowship was achieved by a modified Delphi method. Implementation of this curriculum will ensure that trainees in plastic surgery are adequately prepared in the field of GAS.

Frequency and Characteristics of Postoperative Neuropathy in Individuals on Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy Undergoing Gender Affirmation Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction Gender affirmation surgery includes procedures of the face, larynx, chest, reproductive system, external genitalia, and adipose tissue performed to ameliorate incongruence between gender identity and phenotype. The annual number of gender affirmation surgeries performed in the United States has increased significantly. There have been no investigations into the frequency of peripheral neuropathy after gender affirmation surgery, which is an important topic, given transgender individuals are at increased risk for delaying necessary medical care. After appreciating a number of cases of postoperative neuropathy in our clinical practice, we hypothesized that gender affirmation surgery is a high-risk procedure for postoperative neuropathy.  Methods We conducted a one-year, monocentric, retrospective cohort study utilizing clinical data of individuals on gender-affirming hormone therapy undergoing gender-affirmation surgery under general anesthesia. The study included transgender women, assigned male at birth, receiving antiandrogen, progesterone, or estrogen therapy (target range plasma estradiol concentration 90-200 pg/ml) and transgender men, assigned female at birth, receiving antiestrogen or testosterone therapy (target range plasma testosterone concentration 320-1000 ng/dl). The primary objective was to estimate the incidence of postoperative peripheral neuropathy, defined as new numbness, paresthesia, neuropathic pain, or muscle weakness occurring in a peripheral innervation territory. Secondary objectives were to summarize the clinical presentation of neuropathy and investigate for associations between procedure characteristics and neuropathy. Results We identified nine cases of postoperative peripheral nerve injury in 232 consecutive gender affirmation procedures establishing an incidence of 3.9%. All injuries were associated with surgery longer than six hours and were characterized by sensory deficits including numbness 89% (8/9) and tingling 56% (5/9), which were diagnosed by postoperative day one. Conclusions Our results suggest that gender affirmation surgery is a high-risk procedure for postoperative neuropathy, with an incidence similar to other high-risk procedures, and an incidence that is higher than the general surgical population. However, given this has not been previously reported and our study includes a heterogenous population from a single institution, our results should be considered hypothesis generating. Additional studies that include multiple institutions are needed to confirm our findings and identify modifiable risk factors for postoperative neuropathy.

Regret after Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Multidisciplinary Approach to a Multifaceted Patient Experience.

BACKGROUND: Lasting regret after gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a difficult multifaceted clinical scenario with profound effects on individual well-being as well as being a politically charged topic. Currently, there are no professional guidelines or standards of care to help providers and patients navigate this entity. This article summarizes the authors' Transgender Health Program's cohesive multidisciplinary lifespan approach to mitigate, evaluate, and treat any form of temporary or permanent regret after GAS. METHODS: A multidisciplinary (primary care, pediatric endocrinology, psychology, social work, plastic surgery, urology, gynecology, and bioethics) workgroup including cisgender, transgender, and gender-diverse professionals met for a duration of 14 months. The incidence of individuals who underwent GAS at the authors' program between 2016 and 2021 and subsequently expressed desire to reverse their gender transition was reported. RESULTS: Among 1989 individuals who underwent GAS, six (0.3%) either requested reversal surgery or transitioned back to their sex assigned at birth. A multidisciplinary assessment and care pathway for patients who request reversal surgery is presented in the article. CONCLUSIONS: A care environment that welcomes and normalizes authentic expression of gender identity, affirms surgical goals without judgment, and destigmatizes the role of mental health in the surgical process are foundational to mitigating the occurrence of any form of regret. The authors hope this can provide a framework to distinguish normal postoperative distress from temporary forms of grief and regret and regret attributable to societal repercussions, surgical outcomes, or gender identity.

Optimizing Innervation in Radial Forearm Phalloplasty: Consider the Posterior Antebrachial Cutaneous Nerve.

SUMMARY: One goal of an ideal phallic reconstruction is achieving tactile and erogenous sensation. Traditionally, the most common flap used in phalloplasty has been the radial forearm flap, where the medial and lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerves are coapted to meet this goal. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the lesser-known posterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve (PABC) as an alternative or additional nerve for coaptation that innervates a majority of the shaft, where sensation is most desired. The presence, anatomical location, and territory of innervation of the antebrachial cutaneous nerves were assessed in a series of 12 consecutive in vivo radial forearm phalloplasties. A literature review was conducted to establish which nerves have traditionally been used for sensory reinnervation of the phallus. The PABC was the first nerve encountered on the radial border of the flap lying on the fascia in the interval between the brachioradialis and extensor carpi radials longus. The posterior and lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerves innervated the phallic shaft, whereas the anterior branch of the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve innervated the phallic urethra. There were no articles in our review that used PABC for nerve coaptation in radial forearm phalloplasty. The skin innervated by the PABC represents a significant portion of the phallic shaft when using the standard template for radial forearm phalloplasty. Despite this, its use is not described in the literature. The authors introduce the PABC as an alternative or additional nerve for coaptation in radial forearm phalloplasty.

Neurosensory Re-education following Gender-affirming Phalloplasty: A Novel Treatment Protocol.

Sensory nerve transfers are performed as part of phalloplasty surgery. Despite this, sensory re-education to rehabilitate these nerve transfers has not been employed. Additionally, little attention has been paid to the role of the central nervous system in experienced sensation following phalloplasty. The purpose of this article is to report on the development of a targeted rehabilitation protocol to integrate and optimize peripheral and central contributions to sensation following phalloplasty. Methods: This neurosensory re-education protocol was constructed over four phases by a multi-disciplinary team (phalloplasty/peripheral nerve surgeon, reconstructive urologist, pelvic floor physiotherapists, nerve therapist, sex therapist, sexual medicine physician) and individuals with lived phalloplasty experience. The final protocol was approved by all team members and is supported here by qualitative narratives from people with lived phalloplasty experience. Results: The protocol is built to follow each stage of phalloplasty surgery. In each stage, exercises are grouped into three core themes: visualization, tactile stimulation, and sexual/erogenous stimulation. Visualization exercises progress from static to dynamic. Tactile exercises start at simple touch and progress toward targeted sensory stimulation. Sexual stimulation focuses on developing erogenous sensation in the phallus that is separate from erogenous sensation in the natal clitoral tissue. By recommendation of individuals with phalloplasty, the protocol is now integrated into our center's phalloplasty care pathway for all individuals undergoing phalloplasty surgery. Conclusion: We introduce a novel protocol targeting peripheral and central contributions to sensation to provide a tool to help optimize experienced sensation for transmasculine individuals undergoing phalloplasty.

Nerve morbidity at the radial forearm donor site following gender-affirming phalloplasty.

INTRODUCTION: In the radial forearm phalloplasty multiple nerves are harvested to provide phallic sensation, resulting in iatrogenic nerve injuries. Despite this, nerve morbidity following this procedure has been minimally assessed. The purpose of this study was to assess donor site nerve morbidity following radial forearm phalloplasty. METHODS: Patients who underwent gender-affirming phalloplasty at our institution between 2016-2020 using the radial forearm were included. Pain characteristics were assessed with a modified Mackinnon Pain questionnaire consisting of 33 items, including visual analog scales (VAS) for reporting of pain and impact on aspects of quality of life (QoL), as well as 20 descriptive pain adjectives and a 21-item questionnaire to capture overall pain experience. RESULTS: A total of 37 patients were included. 31 had minimal-mild pain (VAS scores 0-3), and 6 patients had moderate-severe pain (VAS scores 4-10). The mild pain group reported a mean 2.74 (0-7) pain descriptors and reported minimal impact on QoL metrics. The moderate-severe pain group reported mean 6.33 (2-15) pain descriptors and reported significant impacts on QoL metrics. Significant differences were observed with decreased QoL (p = 0.018), increased sadness (p = 0.009), increased frustration (p = 0.030), increased anger (p = 0.0496), and decreased hopefulness (p = 0.0496) in the moderate-severe pain group along with interference of pain with sleep (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: In a cross-sectional analysis of 37 patients who underwent gender-affirming radial forearm phalloplasty, the majority (31) experienced a minimal degree of donor site nerve pain. Six patients suffered from more significant nerve pain that was associated with a decreased QoL. Treatment and prevention of this nerve pain represent important areas for future exploration.

Nationwide Resident Access to Elective Rotations: A Survey Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to assess the status of elective rotations offered in plastic and reconstructive surgery residency programs throughout the country while also qualifying resident and alumni experiences and identifying barriers to offering electives. DESIGN: Two prospective surveys were created for (1) program leadership and (2) residents, fellows, and alumni's who have graduated in the last 5 years. SETTING: This is a multi-institutional survey study. PARTICIPANTS: Of 81 plastic and reconstructive surgery programs, 45 programs, and 102 residents, fellows and/or recent graduates responded to survey 2. RESULTS: Fifty-six percent of respondents stated that their institution offered electives, 62% of which permitted residents to participate in regional, national, and international rotations primarily in the fifth and sixth years of training. Types of elective rotations completed included aesthetic, craniofacial, sex, hand, and microsurgery. Fifty-three percent responding programs denied barriers to offering elective rotations. When programs noted barriers, the most common were cost to resident/department (28%), institutional Graduate Medical Education policy (22%), and lack of service coverage at the home institution (22%). There was no difference between departments versus divisions offering electives (56.3% vs 57.1%, P = 0.95). Programs that did not offer electives spent an average of 14.6 months on general surgery compared with 9.4 months for programs that did offer electives ( P = 0.06). For programs that did not currently offer elective rotations, 71% indicated a desire to do so. CONCLUSION: The primary goal of plastic surgery training programs is to produce plastic surgeons of the highest caliber with regard to safety and competence. Although several regulatory bodies ensure that programs adhere to a similar standard, not all programs have opportunities for residents to experience the breadth of our multifaceted specialty. Elective rotations constitute an excellent supplement to a well-rounded training where gaps may exist.

Partial Flap Loss in Gender Affirming Phalloplasty.

BACKGROUND: Flaps used in phalloplasty are larger than described for other indications, with a design that is tubularized up to two times. While the incidence of partial flap loss (PFL) is well described, current literature lacks granularity comparing donor sites and techniques with minimal discussion of etiology and management. The purpose of this study was to review our experience with PFL in phalloplasty. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent phalloplasty by a single surgeon at a single institution between 2016 and 2020. PFL was defined as any patient requiring sharp excision of necrotic tissue and reconstruction. Patient variables (demographics, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, comorbidities), flap variables (donor site, design, dimensions, perforator number) and intraoperative variables (use of vasopressors, intraoperative fluid volume) were collected. RESULTS: Of 76 phalloplasties, 6 patients suffered PFL (7.9%). 5/6 patients were radial forearm free flap tube-within-tube (TWT) and 1/5 patients were pedicled anterolateral thigh TWT. 4/6 cases involved the shaft only and were treated with excision ± Integra and full-thickness skin grafting. 2 cases of PFL involved the urethral extension requiring excision of the necrotic segment. CONCLUSION: PFL occurred in 7.9% of cases and was solely found in the TWT cohort. The majority of cases involved the shaft, sparing the urethral segment. Cases in the acute postoperative period appeared to be related to macrovascular venous congestion, while cases in the subacute period appeared to be due to microvascular arterial ischemia.

Facial Gender Surgery: Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Consensus Guidelines from the International Facial Gender Symposium.

BACKGROUND: Increasing societal acceptance of transgender people has led to broader availability of gender surgery and rapid growth in transition-related operations. Facial gender surgery aims to modify patients' facial features to be more congruent with their physical expression of gender, reducing gender dysphoria and improving quality of life. Growth in research and technique evolution has not kept pace with growth in clinical volume. Therefore, the first International Facial Gender Symposium was held at Johns Hopkins University in 2019, convening surgeons who perform facial gender surgery to share ideas and assess the state of clinical evidence. METHODS: To review the literature on facial gender surgery, the authors developed a search strategy for seven electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Gender Studies) through May of 2019, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses systematic review guidelines. RESULTS: Based on the English language literature and clinical experience, the authors suggest guidelines for screening, management, and appropriate surgical technique for patients undergoing facial gender surgery. They highlight facial gender surgery as a medically necessary intervention and identify shortcomings in current guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Facial gender surgery represents a complex array of craniofacial and soft-tissue procedures that require application of advanced skills and decision-making. Facial gender operations are not cosmetic, are medically necessary, and require development of new CPT codes specific to facial gender surgery. It is imperative to create educational programs and methods to define sufficient training for facial gender surgery surgeons. Research priorities include better procedural outcomes data, more quality-of-life studies, and insight into variation in both patient and procedural subgroups.

Shaft-only Phalloplasty: Technical Modifications to Optimize Aesthetics.

Shaft-only phalloplasty (SOP) has been described as an alternative option for phalloplasty. Although traditional phalloplasty represents the most complete form of genital gender-affirming surgery, this variation also carries the greatest surgical risk. Patients may opt for a lower risk SOP for reasons including gender identity, gender expression, sexual function, desire for future childbearing, or minimal gender dysphoria associated with sedentary urination. Further, some patients may, due to associated co-morbidities, not be a candidate for neourethral reconstruction. Forgoing urethral reconstruction also means forgoing the presence of a distal urethral meatus and thereby compromising on one of the basic tenets of phalloplasty surgery-the aesthetic appearance. In an SOP, the flap is usually a simple tube with a purse-string suture placed at the distal end. Another concern can be the insufficient bulk of the phallus due to the absence of the volume added by the inner tube. The purpose of this article is to review our technical modifications that allow for creation of a phallic meatus as well as increasing phallic girth when needed. The most frequently described technique to create a neo-urethra is the tube-within-tube concept. We expanded on this and apply it as a short segment for distal meatal creation in an SOP. Improved aesthetics are achieved by creating the appearance of a phallic meatus and when desired, utilizing a lateral de-epithelialized strip to increase phallic bulk and girth. We hope these technical refinements can assist the surgeon in better meeting the goal of creating an aesthetically pleasing phallus.

Guiding the conversation-types of regret after gender-affirming surgery and their associated etiologies.

BACKGROUND: A rare, but consequential, risk of gender affirming surgery (GAS) is post-operative regret resulting in a request for surgical reversal. Studies on regret and surgical reversal are scarce, and there is no standard terminology regarding either etiology and/or classification of the various forms of regret. This study includes a survey of surgeons' experience with patient regret and requests for reversal surgery, a literature review on the topic of regret, and expert, consensus opinion designed to establish a classification system for the etiology and types of regret experienced by some patients. METHODS: This anonymous survey was sent to the 154 surgeons who registered for the 2016 World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) conference and the 2017 USPATH conference. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A MeSH search of the gender-affirming outcomes literature was performed on PubMed for relevant studies pertaining to regret. Original research and review studies that were thought to discuss regret were included for full text review. RESULTS: The literature is inconsistent regarding etiology and classification of regret following GAS. Of the 154 surgeons queried, 30% responded to our survey. Cumulatively, these respondents treated between 18,125 and 27,325 individuals. Fifty-seven percent of surgeons encountered at least one patient who expressed regret, with a total of 62 patients expressing regret (0.2-0.3%). Etiologies of regret were varied and classified as either: (I) true gender-related regret (42%), (II) social regret (37%), and (III) medical regret (8%). The surgeons' experience with patient regret and request for reversal was consistent with the existing literature. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, regret following GAS was rare and was consistent with the existing literature. Regret can be classified as true gender-related regret, social regret and medical regret resulting from complications, function, pre-intervention decision making. Guidelines in transgender health should offer preventive strategies as well as treatment recommendations, should a patient experience regret. Future studies and scientific discourse are encouraged on this important topic.

Neourethra Creation in Gender Phalloplasty: Differences in Techniques and Staging.

SUMMARY: The creation of a sensate, aesthetic, and functional phallus for transmasculine individuals has high reported complication rates. Neourethra reconstruction is the most challenging aspect of this surgery, with widely varying techniques and staging between providers. In an operation of this complexity, surgeons should not be expected to offer all the options, but rather the specific variation that works in their given setting. For some, it is single-stage phalloplasty with full-length urethroplasty. For others, staged phalloplasty with separation of perineal masculinization from phallus reconstruction works better. In this expert opinion article, the authors strive to give an overview of the principles behind, and a detailed explanation of, the technical details of creating the penile and bulbar urethra during phalloplasty. The authors focus on the three most common strategies: single-stage phalloplasty; two-stage phalloplasty with a metoidioplasty-first approach; and two-stage phalloplasty with a phalloplasty-first (Big Ben method) approach. It is not the authors' intent to establish the "best" or "only" way, but rather to compile different options with their respective pros and cons.