Paraphimosis is the inability of an uncircumcised male to pull the foreskin back over the head of the penis.
Paraphimosis and phimosis are related conditions caused by swelling and irritation (inflammation) and narrowing of the foreskin. Causes of inflammation include:
Uncircumcised males, and those who may not have been correctly or completely circumcised, are at risk.
Paraphimosis occurs most often in children and the elderly.
Jordan GH, Schlossberg SM. Surgery of the penis and urethra. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 33.
Elder JS. Abnormalities of the genitalia in boys and their surgical management. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 126.
Elder JS. Anomalies of the penis and urethra. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 544.