This article is for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a template for consenting patients. The person obtaining consent should have clear knowledge of the procedure and the potential risks and complications. Always refer to your local or national guidelines, and the applicable and appropriate law in your jurisdiction governing patient consent.
Overview of Procedure
A dorsal slit procedure is an operation which involves making an incision at the top of the foreskin to relieve tightness preventing retraction.
It can be performed electively for patients who do not wish to undergo circumcision or in an emergency for relief of paraphimosis. This can be done under a general anaesthetic or a ring block.
Complications
Intraoperative
| Complication | Description of Complication | Potential Ways to Reduce Risk |
| Haemorrhage | Damage to local blood vessels when making the incision | |
| Damage to surrounding structures | Iatrogenic injury to the glans of the penis | |
| Anaesthetic risks | Includes damage to the teeth, throat and larynx, reaction to medications, nausea and vomiting, cardiovascular and respiratory complications | Forms a part of the anaesthetist assessment before the operation |
Early
| Complication | Description of Complication | Potential Ways to Reduce Risk |
| Pain | Pain at the incision site | Regular analgesia post-operatively and the use of a penile block |
| Infection | Surgical site infections can occur, leading to delayed wound healing | Maintain an aseptic technique throughout the procedure |
| Bleeding | Bleeding from the wound, reactive to any infection or wound breakdown | |
| Poor cosmesis | Often performed as an emergency procedure, cosmesis can be affected | Often a circumcision is required at a later stage |
| Swelling of the penis | Post-procedure inflammation, mainly in the glans, can last for a couple of days |