Treatment Of Childhood Phimosis With Topical Steroid

PURPOSE: Circumcision has traditionally been regarded as primary therapy for persistent phimosis in boys. Recently groups in Europe and America have advocated the use of topical steroids as conservative treatment in children. We report our experience with this approach.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between October 2001 and April 2003,40 boys with a mean age of 8.7 years who presented to our clinic with phimosis were started on a topical steroid. After counseling the family regarding treatment options we prescribed a 1-month course of 0.05% betamethasone cream applied twice daily.RESULTS: All of the 40 patients completed the treatment and were evaluated. A total of 26 boys (65%) had a normal appearing foreskin that was easily retracted, while in the remaining 4 the outcome was unsuccessful.CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that the application of topical steroid is a viable alternative for treating phimosis in children.