Vaginoplasty
Schematic anatomy after penile-inversion vaginoplasty: the neovaginal canal, neoclitoris and labia drawn to typical dimensions in the reference pelvis, with the prostate, seminal vesicles and bladder kept.
Overview
No open 3D scan of anatomy after gender-affirming surgery exists, so this layer is schematic: simple solids drawn to the dimensions and positions described in the surgical literature, placed in the reference pelvis and labelled so that every piece opens the same clinical pages as the rest of the atlas. It shows one operation only: after penile-inversion vaginoplasty a canal lined with penile and scrotal skin runs up and back between the urethra, prostate and bladder in front and the rectum behind; a clitoris fashioned from part of the glans sits under the pubic arch; and the scrotal and shaft skin form the labia. The prostate and seminal vesicles are kept, and so is the bladder. The canal is drawn collapsed at rest, as a slit about 3 cm wide, and only about 8 cm deep: the reference pelvis has no dissected space between rectum and bladder, so a canal of the 10 to 13 cm typical in life would run through one of them. Even so its upper end runs a few millimetres into the undissected bladder base, seminal vesicles and rectal wall; the real canal lies in a plane the surgeon creates by displacing the rectum backwards. The labia sit between thighs that touch in the standing reference body, so they are drawn partly within the adductor muscles. While the layer is shown, the penis, testes, epididymides, deferent ducts and the male urethra are hidden (the urethra is shortened in the operation; its new opening sits just above the canal and is not drawn separately). Phalloplasty is shown in the Phalloplasty layer; metoidioplasty is not drawn and is described on the neophallus page.
Functions
- Give the body the genital anatomy that matches the person's gender
- A vagina for intercourse and comfort in one's body
- Preserve erotic sensation through the neoclitoris and its nerve supply
Clinical notes
- A skin-lined canal needs lifelong dilation and washing; granulation tissue, strictures and, rarely, fistula to the rectum or urethra are the recognised problems
- The prostate remains, so prostate checks still apply
- Peritoneal or bowel-lined canals produce secretions and have their own aftercare
- Screening follows the anatomy a person has
Organs & groups in this system
All structures 6
6 modelled pieces. Click a structure to open it in the atlas.