title: Circumcision: perspective in a Nigerian teaching hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The practice and pattern of male infants circumcised is influenced by culture, religion and socio-economic classification. The debate about the benefits and risks of circumcision has made a hospital-based practice the most acceptable.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to evaluate the ages, indications, co-morbidity, types and methods of circumcision, usage and mode of anaesthesia and outcome of male circumcision at a tertiary health centre in Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of male circumcision in a paediatric surgery unit was done from January 2002 to December 2007. The data was analysed using SPSS software version 15.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 438 boys with age ranged between 6 days and 10 years (median 28 days, mean 53.6 days standard deviation 74.2). Neonatal circumcision (<29 days) was 201 (46%) and 318 (72.6%) of the children were circumcised by the 3 rd month of live. Religion or tradition were the major indicators in 384 (87.7%) patients while phimosis 38 (8.7%), paraphimosis 4 (1%), redundant post circumcision skin 10 (2.3%) and defective prepuce in 2 (0.5%) were other indications. Plastibel™ (PD) was used in 214 (48.9%), classical circumcision 194 (44.2%), guillotine technique (GT) and Gomco™ 10 (2.3%) cases each while 10 (2.3%) had a refashioning/re-excision post previous circumcision. There was an increase in use of PD, drop in the use of GT; and increase in the number of circumcision done over the years. Only 39.7% had anaesthesia administered and complication rate was 6.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neonatal circumcision was highest in the hospital-based circumcision practice, which allowed the expected ideals in the use of devices in a tertiary health centre. However, the low rate of anaesthetic use is unacceptable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Paediatric Surgery Unit, University of Ilorin; University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Abdur-Rahman
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nasir
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Adeniran
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002944:Circumcision, Male / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D012189:Retrospective Studies