Hypospadias: A better life for your son

Hypospadias affects one in 250 to 300 full-term male newborns in the United States. It is a common birth defect. It occurs when the opening through which your son urinates is not at the tip of the penis but might be located elsewhere along the shaft of the penis, or very occasionally in the scrotum.

Signs of hypospadias

Most hypospadias cases are recognized quickly and easily at birth and treated with surgery during the boy’s first 6-18 months of life. Other indicators include a downward curve of the penis, incomplete foreskin resulting in a hooded appearance or abnormal spraying during urination.

Our expertise

Dr. Farhat and his team are experts at hypospadias repair. He has treated more than 1,000 cases surgically, as well as focused his research on the subject for years. Dr. Farhat has been published in many national and international journals and presented at meetings and conferences on this topic. There are many reasons for recommending correction, no matter how mild the condition, especially when parents would like to have their child circumcised.

Our commitment

Our pediatric urologists at UW Health and American Family Children's Hospital in Madison, Wis., are committed to being there through your child's entire treatment process before, during and after surgery.

Hypospadias repair is an intricate and complex pediatric urological procedure. To prepare our providers to surgically treat your child, we require training in our simulation lab. Our team trains using 3D-printed advanced simulation models that are created to closely match our patient’s varying degrees of hypospadias. The hypospadias model we use was developed in collaboration with the team at the Morgridge Institute for Research in Madison.

The trainees learn the most up-to-date techniques and use the same equipment during training that is found in our operating rooms. This includes familiarizing themselves with surgical loupes that magnify the surgical field to increase accuracy and precision during your child’s surgery.

We believe specialized training, a state-of-the-art simulation lab and the continuing education around hypospadias repair sets our team apart and makes us the most qualified and experienced providers to treat your son.