Sex reassignment surgery for transsexuals

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this article is to report on the most recent findings on the current surgical treatments for sex reassignment surgery for both male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals. RECENT FINDINGS: For male-to-female sex reassignment surgery, researches aim to refine the inverted peno-scrotal flap surgical technique in order to increase the neovaginal length and width, prevent complications and ameliorate the cosmetic outcome.Bowel segment vaginoplasty, used mainly for secondary cases, is becoming more and more common.For female-to-male sex reassignment surgery, the radial forearm flap is the only procedure that has proved to fulfil most of the patient expectations; however, because of a high complications rate, long recovery time and a large number of the required operations, and the absence of guarantee that patients will be satisfied, the free radial forearm flap is not the best option for every patient. Alternatives such as abdominal/groin flap, thigh flap and metaidoioplasty are very much used. SUMMARY: In order to provide the best care for transsexual patients, centres performing sex reassignment surgery should co-operate and implement both the refinements and the new techniques offered and/or requested.