Clitorolabial Reconstruction in Circumcised Females with Clitoral Inclusion Cyst

The current practice of female circumcision in some communities, including some Islamic communities, is a form of genital mutilation. This results in structural distortion of the female external genitalia and defective sexuality, in addition to the associated immediate and late complication. Such practice should be condemned and the mutilated genitalia should be restored whenever feasible. 32 female patients who had Type I or II circumcision, complicated with clitoral inclusion cysts, were seen in the outpatient clinic over 12 years (January 1997 December 2008) and were included in this study. All patients had excision of the clitoral cysts followed by clitorolabioplasty to restore their external genitalia. This report describes the detailed steps of our clitorolabial reconstruction, including the reconstruction of the clitoral hood, pointing out the importance of some steps on the cosmetic outcome. Patients with total clitoral shaft and hood excision were not candidate for such genital reconstruction and were not included in this study. This study presents an experience in female genital reconstruction of the mutilated circumcised female with reference to patients who developed clitoral inclusion cyst which act as tissue expander providing extra skin for better reconstruction.