Vaginoplasty in male to female transsexuals

To date, many techniques have been reported for vaginoplasty in male-to-female trans-sexual (MTFTS) patients, such as the use of a rectum transfer, a pe-nile-scrotal flap and a reversed penile flap. However, none of these procedures is without its disadvantages. We developed a new kind of flap for vaginoplasty, the M-shaped perineo-scrotal flap (M-shaped flap), using skin from both sides of the scrotum, shorn of hair by preoperative laser treatment. We applied this new type of flap in 9 MTFTS patients between January 2006 and November 2007. None of the flaps developed necrosis, and the patients could engage in sexual activity within three months of the operation. The M-shaped flap has numerous advantages: in that it can be elevated safely while retaining good vascularity, it provides for the construction of a sufficient deep vagina without a skin graft, the size of the flap is not influenced entirely by the length of the penis, and it utilizes skin from both sides of the scrotal area, which is usually excised.