Genital Self-Mutilation in Two Young Men: Case Reports and Literature Review

The aim of this case series was to report the diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics of self-mutilation of the external genitalia received in the urology department of the Yalgado OUEDRAOGO University Hospital in Ouagadougou. Two cases of self-mutilation of the external genitalia were retrospectively studied: one case of total emasculation and one case of laceration of the root of the penis. The parameters studied were age, reason for consultation, history, psychological state, clinical signs and treatment. The two patients were aged 27 and 29. The first was a smoker and drug user and the second a schizophrenic. The clinical signs were marked by total removal of the penis and external genitalia in one patient and a simple laceration in the other. Treatment was surgical and consisted of a urethroplasty and a simple suture. The psychiatric assessment was conducted according to DSM-5 criteria and revealed acute psychotic disorder and paranoid schizophrenia, respectively. The patients underwent multidisciplinary care with close psychiatric monitoring and postoperative urological follow-up. No cases of recurrence of self-harm were observed within six months of treatment. Management of self-injurious lesions remains problematic in developing countries due to the lack of microsurgical equipment.