KLES Kidney Foundation

What is Hypospadias?

Hypospadias is a defect in which urine passes from an opening sited not at the tip of the penis but from somewhere on the under surface of the shaft. This is a common birth defect and occurs in about 1 of 150 -300 male births. In India every year more than 76000 babies are born with hypospadias.

There are different degrees of hypospadias - the minor ones are those where the opening is closer the tip, and the severe ones are those where the opening is close to the scrotum or even dividing it. The abnormality of hypospadias has three components: -

1. The opening is away from the tip
   
2. The penis may be curved downward (called chordee) and this is readily apparent during erection. The chordee is more prominent in the more severe varieties of hypospadias
   
3. The prepuce, or the foreskin, is always deficient on the under surface giving the appearance of a hood when the penis is viewed sideways