The meatus (mee-AY-tus) is the opening in the penis where the urine (pee) comes out. In meatal stenosis (mee-ATE-ul steh-NO-sis), the opening is too small.

Meatal stenosis is usually noticed when a male child starts to toilet train and has trouble aiming the pee into the toilet. Meatal stenosis can cause them to pee upward, need to pee a lot, or take a long time to get all of the pee out. If needed, a procedure called a meatotomy or a meatoplasty can fix meatal stenosis and make the opening bigger. The urologist (healthcare provider that specializes in the urinary system) can help you decide what treatment is best for your child.

• Usually, no special home care is needed. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions.
• If a meatotomy or meatoplasty is scheduled:
  • Ask the urologist if your child's regular medicines can be given as usual or if any should be stopped before the procedure.
  • Follow instructions about stopping eating and drinking before the procedure if general anesthesia (medicine that makes someone sleep and not feel pain) is planned.
  • Follow any other instructions from the urologist.
• Keep any follow-up appointments as recommended.

Your child has:

• Pain when peeing
• Trouble getting the pee out

Your child cannot pee.

What causes meatal stenosis? Meatal stenosis can happen when an irritation causes a scar to form at the meatus. This makes the opening for peeing smaller. The irritation may come from rubbing against a diaper, an injury to the penis, or having a catheter (a plastic tube that lets the pee flow out of the body) in place for a long time. Meatal stenosis is more likely to happen in males who are circumcised (had the skin that covers the end of the penis removed).

How is meatal stenosis treated? The treatment is a simple procedure to make the opening of the meatus bigger. The urologist uses medicine to numb the penis or gives general anesthesia to help the child sleep during the procedure. The procedure fixes meatal stenosis for most children.