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Circumcision for phimosis and other medical indications in Western Australian boys

Stefan A Bailis
Med J Aust 2003; 178 (11): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05368.x
Published online: 2 June 2003

To the Editor: The study by Spilsbury and colleagues provides new data on rates of phimosis, balanoposthitis, and lichen sclerosus.1 However, it does cite sources — Øster2 and Shankar and Rickwood3 — that indicate very low rates of phimosis. Øster was a school medical officer who followed up his subjects for several years, making frequent penile inspections and giving them continual instruction on prepuce care. Without such extraordinary attention, it would be highly unlikely the general population would have such low rates of phimosis.




Correspondence: 

  • 1. Spilsbury K, Semmens JB, Wisniewski ZS, Holman CDJ. Circumcision for phimosis and other medical indications in Western Australian boys. Med J Aust 2003; 178: 155-158. <eMJA full text>
  • 2. Øster J. Further fate of the foreskin: incidence of preputial adhesions, phimosis, and smegma among Danish schoolboys. Arch Dis Child 1968; 43: 200-203.
  • 3. Shankar KR, Rickwood AMK. The incidence of phimosis in boys. BJU Int 1999; 84: 101-102.
  • 4. Gairdner D. The fate of the foreskin. BMJ 1949; 2: 1433-1437.
  • 5. Saitmacher F. Socialhygienische betrachtungen zu einer routinemassigen zirkumzision mannlicher sauglinge. Deutsche Gesundheitswesen 1960; 15: 1217-1220.

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