Complications of male circumcision treated at a military hospital in Afghanistan

• Published in: U.S. Army Medical Department journal 2013-04, p.93-97
• Main Authors: Gurney, Jennifer M, Jaszczak, Nicholas, Perkins, Jennifer H, Lentz-Kapua, Sarah L, Soderdahl, Douglas W, Renz, Evan M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Afghanistan; Case studies; Child, Preschool; Circumcision; Circumcision, Male; Complications and side effects; Hospitals, Military; Humans; Infant; Male; Postoperative Complications - surgery; Safety and security measures; United States
• ISSN: 1524-0436

Circumcision of male infants and children is a common ritual in Afghanistan. As in many other developing countries, there are few safeguards relating to the procedure, particularly in rural areas. Performance of ritual circumcision may result in complications requiring treatment beyond the capabilities of the practitioner performing the initial procedure. It is not uncommon for local nationals to seek care at deployed military medical facilities for a wide variety of problems, and complications related to attempted circumcision are no exception. We describe 2 such cases recently presented to a US Army combat support hospital in rural Afghanistan for surgical treatment of the unintended consequences of male circumcision. We offer a review of the most common complications associated with circumcision and treatment options for each. It is valuable for the surgeon operating at the military medical hospital in remote areas of the world to be familiar with the management of the most common complications of circumcision.