Ex-premature infant boys with hypospadias are similar in size to age-matched, ex-premature infant boys without hypospadias.
OBJECTIVE
Studies have postulated that hypospadias, prematurity, and low birth weight are linked by defects in androgen signaling. To determine whether premature, hypospadiac boys are small and remain so, we compared their size at birth and at hypospadias repair to premature boys who underwent post-neonatal circumcision.


METHODS
We identified premature boys admitted to Texas Children's Hospital who underwent either hypospadias repair or circumcision after 4 months of age. Age, weight, and height at birth and surgery were recorded.


RESULTS
Fifty-four boys had hypospadias and 34 did not. For hypospadiac boys, the mean birth weight and age, height, and weight at surgery were lower than for boys without hypospadias. More importantly, length-for-age and weight-for-age percentiles were also lower for hypospadiac boys. When subset analysis was performed on boys younger than 2 years at surgery, however, there were no significant differences in height or weight between hypospadiac and non-hypospadiac boys.


CONCLUSIONS
Our series suggests that premature, hypospadiac boys are born smaller than age-matched, non-hypospadiac controls. However, there were no age-corrected size differences between hypospadiac and non-hypospadiac boys at surgery. This implies that hypospadiac boys exhibit post-neonatal 'rebound' growth. Global growth deficits, if any, do not persist in hypospadiac boys.
Hsieh
Michael H
MH
Department of Urology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. mhhsieh@stanford.edu
Alonzo
David G
DG
Gonzales
Edmond T
ET
Jones
Eric A
EA
Cisek
Lars J
LJ
Roth
David R
DR
D001835:Body Weight; D002944:Circumcision, Male / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007021:Hypospadias / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014513:Ureter / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery