Surgical terms | Gupta Urology

Common terms

Flap

Tissue moved with its blood supply, or with blood vessels that are reconnected at the new location.

Graft

Tissue or material placed at another site; ask what type is used in your plan.

Donor site

The area from which tissue is taken.

Urethra

The channel that carries urine from the bladder out of the body.

Urethral lengthening

Reconstruction that extends the urinary channel.

Glansplasty

Surgery to shape the head of a reconstructed penis.

Scrotoplasty

Surgery to create a scrotum.

Vaginectomy

Treatment of the vaginal lining, distinct from closure of the canal. In this practice, the lining is treated with a combination of excision and ablation, followed by canal closure.

Clitoral burial

Positioning the clitoris beneath tissue at the base of a reconstructed penis.

Peritoneum

Tissue lining the inside of the abdomen.

Dilation

Use of a dilator to help maintain a surgically created vaginal canal.

Stage

One operation or phase within a broader surgical plan.

Related procedures

Your plan may combine several procedures or separate them into stages. These illustrations show individual components; their presence here does not mean every patient needs them.

View glansplasty illustration

Schematic of folding tissue and placing a graft to shape the glans. — Adapted from © Daly Horton, ArtByDaly.com, 2024. Used with permission. Labels and explanatory text corrected October 2026. Select the image for a larger view. This illustrates one glansplasty technique; incision placement is individualized.

View scrotoplasty illustration

Schematic showing labial tissue reshaped into a scrotum; the poster also depicts vaginal closure. — Adapted from © Daly Horton, ArtByDaly.com, 2024. Used with permission. Labels and explanatory text corrected October 2026. Select the image for a larger view. Vaginectomy and vaginal closure are shown as concurrent procedures, distinct from creation of the scrotum.

View urethral reconstruction illustration

Schematic of constructing a urinary channel from forearm tissue and connecting it to the existing urethra. — Adapted from © Daly Horton, ArtByDaly.com, 2024. Used with permission. Labels and explanatory text corrected October 2026. Select the image for a larger view. This shows separate forearm urethra creation and later join-up in the abdominal pathway. Standing urination is not guaranteed.

View vaginectomy illustration

Schematic of vaginal closure and perineal reconstruction. — Adapted from © Daly Horton, ArtByDaly.com, 2024. Used with permission. Labels and explanatory text corrected October 2026. Select the image for a larger view. The vaginal lining is treated with excision and ablation before the canal is closed.

View clitoral burial illustration

Schematic showing positioning of the clitoris beneath tissue at the base of the phallus. — Adapted from © Daly Horton, ArtByDaly.com, 2024. Used with permission. Labels and explanatory text corrected October 2026. Select the image for a larger view. This shows clitoral positioning beneath skin at the base of the phallus. It does not imply sensation throughout the phallus.

Sources and review

Based on supplied University Hospitals program handouts and Daly Horton’s educational illustrations (2024), with Dr. Gupta’s October 2026 clarifications. The handouts describe particular techniques and pathways; they are not a substitute for your individual instructions.

University Hospitals gender-affirmation surgery service ↗

Appointments and clinical questions ↗