Metoidioplasty and Scrotoplasty Surgeons: Part 1

I started researching surgeons for bottom surgery in earnest in August, 2008. In particular, I am interested in metoidioplasty with urethral extension and scrotoplasty. When I started this journey a year ago, I didn’t think I was interested in having a scalpel anywhere near my genitals. Things have changed. I have changed. And now I am researching surgeons who could take me on as a patient for lower surgery, genital reconstruction surgery (GRS), gender confirmation surgery (GCS). Whatever you want to call it, it’s expensive, painful, risky, scary and extremely personal.

This entry is the first in a short series about choosing a surgeon for metoidioplasty and scrotoplasty. I’m sharing this information to shed some light into the process of getting to what many transmen see as their final transition destination. Transition takes us down a long and winding road and many of the places we get to are unknowns until we arrive. The chance exists that I won’t go through with a meta/scroto, though I am strongly leaning in that direction. I am not a body modification junkie, and I won’t go into any surgery without learning as much as I can—the good and the bad.

I don’t want to have to defend my choice for genital reconstruction. I realize that some people will never understand, and that’s OK. By all means, I want there to be the opportunity for open discussion about this intense topic, but please refrain from any negativity about genital surgery or comments questioning my intentions.

Surgeons I am not considering

I have pretty much narrowed my choice of surgeon down to two doctors. Before discussing these fine surgeons and the information I have exchanged with them however, I’d like to identify the surgeons that I am not considering and why.

Dr. Cameron Bowman in Vancouver, BC, Canada was my surgeon for my top surgery, and he trained with Dr. Stan Monstrey in Belgium in FTM genital procedures. I really wish I could consider Dr. Bowman for lower surgery but he is unable to get operating room time for metoidioplasty.

Dr. Pierre Brassard in Montreal, QC, Canada was an obvious selection for consideration given that I live in Canada, and was born in Montreal and have family and many friends there. Unfortunately, I have been hearing some negative things about the GRS Montreal clinic, including dissatisfaction with metoidioplasty results. It didn’t take me very long to scratch this option right off my list.

Dr. Miroslav Djordjevic in Belgrade, Serbia is one of the best known surgeons specializing in metoidioplasty and scrotoplasty. He was at one point part of a team with Dr. Sava Perovic, another very well known GRS surgeon. Both have excellent reputations when it comes to FTM genital surgeries, and together authored this very informative paper on metoidioplasty in 2003: Metoidioplasty: A Variant of Phalloplasty in female transsexuals (graphic link, NSFW). I haven’t heard many first hand accounts about surgery with Dr. Perovic, and never really considered him as an option. (That may be shortsighted.) Both Ethan and Ryan have posted very detailed accounts about their surgery with Dr. Miro however, and I’ve read a few others, so he was a surgeon that I researched.

I have some anxiety about traveling to Belgrade for surgery and being in country where my language is not native when I’m in a state of intense healing. Lots of people have gone to Belgrade, Thailand and other countries for GRS (medical tourism is on the rise for a host of procedures) but I don’t think this option is for me. Additionally—and I require a direct confirmation of this from Dr. Miro still—I think he requires a vaginectomy for a metoidioplasty, and this is a procedure that I am quite certain I don’t want to have.* The removal of the vagina is very complex, technically speaking, and that area of the body is highly vascularized (blood transfusions are common.) I think Dr. Miro’s results look excellent (graphic link, NSFW), and his experience as both a urologist and plastic surgeon is impressive. He’s a very suitable option for plenty of transmen, but I don’t think I’m a good match.

Dr. Toby Meltzer is another very well known and respected GRS surgeon based in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. I haven’t researched him with much depth. His pricing is high, and I think Dr. Miro’s results are aesthetically superior (I mean no offense to anyone who’s had a Meltzer-meta!) Apparently, Dr. Meltzer claims a 2% complication rate, which is extremely low, however this is not based on any clinical studies, to my knowledge.

For more detailed information about Dr. Miro and Dr. Meltzer, see Bottom Surgery Consultations at ftmtransition.com.

Choosing a Surgeon for Metoidioplasty and Scrotoplasty: Parts 2 and 3

I’d say that one of the main reasons that I haven’t seriously considered Dr. Meltzer is simply because I have located two other surgeons that I have much stronger instincts and good vibes about. In Part 2 and Part 3 of this series, I will go into detail about these two surgeons and why I think both of them would be a good match for me.

*UPDATE, November 23: Dr. Miro confirmed in an email to me that he does NOT require vaginectomy. At this point, he’s back on my list of surgeons to consider, and I will cover him in depth later in this series.

Please note: This information is provided for information purposes only and in no way should it serve as a replacement for your own research and consultations. My intent is not to find a “winner”, but to figure out which surgeon I am best suited to. We each have unique requirements and criteria, so please don’t go on my word. At the same time, there are plenty of questions that surgeons have to answer over and over, so hopefully this series will cut down on some of that repetition.

Metoidioplasty and Scrotoplasty Surgeons Blog Post Series

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Published:
November 2, 2008 / 6:00 pm
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Metoidioplasty and Scrotoplasty
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