OBJECTIVETo evaluate the methods for the replantation of the amputated penis in Chinese men.

METHODSWe performed a meta-analysis on the domestic literature relating replantation of the amputated penis, particularly its successful methods published from 1964 to January 2012.

RESULTSWe identified 109 reports on 111 cases of replantation of the amputated penis that met the inclusion criteria, including 103 adults and 8 children. The mean age, warm ischemia time and total ischemia time were 29 +/- 11 years (range 2 - 56 years), 5.2 +/- 5.7 hours (range 0 - 38 hours) and 6.3 +/- 5.7 hours (range 1 - 38 hours). Fifty-three of the cases were treated by microsurgery and 44 by non-microsurgery. Complications occurred in 81 (73%) of the cases, including ED in 14 cases, urethral stricture in 16, urinary fistula in 8, skin necrosis in 58 and skin sensory abnormality in 31. The incidences of ED, urethral stricture and urinary fistula exhibited significant differences between the microsurgery and non-microsurgery groups of the partial amputation patients (P < 0.05). The incidence of ED was correlated negatively with the number of anastomosed dorsal nerves (r = -0.3, P = 0.05), anastomosis of dorsal veins (r = -0.2, P = 0.02) and anastomosis of arteries (r = -0.2, P = 0.03), but positively with skin sensory abnormality (r = 0.4, P < 0.01), that of urethral stricture negatively with the anastomosis of dorsal nerves (r = -0.2, P = 0.02) and arteries (r = -0.2, P = 0.016), but positively with the anastomosis of corpus cavernosum (r = 0.3, P = 0.01), that of skin necrosis negatively with the total number of anastomosed blood vessels (r = -0.2, P = 0.04), and that of complications negatively with the number of anastomosed dorsal nerves (r = -0.3, P = 0.01), dorsal veins (r = -0.2, P = 0.04), arteries (r = -0.2, P = 0.023) and micro-anastomosis (r = -0.3, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONEarly micro-anastomosis of the most possible penile dorsal veins, arteries and dorsal nerves is essential for the survival of the replanted penis and reduction of complications, and therefore can be regarded as a "standard" method for penile replantation in China.