title: Horse shoe flap vaginoplasty--a new technique of vaginal reconstruction with labia minora flaps for primary vaginal agenesis.
abstract: Reconstruction of the vagina has always been a formidable surgical challenge. A variety of procedures with varying degrees of success have been described, but none has proved to be the ideal method. We have done 15 vaginal reconstructions using labia minora flaps. In the first eight patients, we used two labia minora flaps and sutured them together to create a neovagina. In the last eight patients this new technique of vaginoplasty using horse shoe labia minora flap was used. The neovagina is dilated gradually for a period of 3 months and at the end of 3 months the patient has an adequate sized vagina. All were done for vaginal agenesis. Horse shoe flap vaginoplasty in Mayer, Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome is a new technique. The entire hairless skin within the labia majora is used to create a neovagina. Both the labia minora along with the prepucial skin of the clitoris is elevated as a single flap thereby increasing the dimension of the Neovagina and also augmenting the blood supply of the flap, making it more reliable and finally the design simplifies the technique of suturing the neovaginal tube.
authors.affiliation: Apollo's National Institute for Reconstructive Hand Surgery, Micro Surgery and Plastic Surgery, Apollo First Med Hospital, 154, P.H. Road, Chennai 600 010, India. v_purush20002000@yahoo.com
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Purushothaman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004106:Dilatation / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014621:Vagina / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery*