Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Phalloplasty, a genitourinary surgery for transmasculine patients, reconstructs a neophallus using tissue transferred from other parts of the body to the groin. However, this technique fails to provide adequate sensation, causing regret and persistent dysphoria. Peripheral nerve regeneration is the greatest barrier to sensory recovery, given the slow rate of regrowth coupled with the negative effects of axonal degeneration. Topical application of polyethylene glycol (PEG) fuses severed axonal membranes, restoring the nerve's immediate ability to conduct electrical signals across the repair site. The investigators hypothesize that utilizing PEG in phalloplasties will significantly improve neophallus sensation and postoperative quality of life.
With more than 1.6 million transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) individuals in the United States, the investigators have witnessed an exponential increase in the number of gender-affirming surgeries performed in the last 2 decades. Of the affirming surgical spectrum, "bottom" genitourinary surgeries remain the most challenging. Specifically, phalloplasty is a masculinizing surgery for neophallus creation using free tissue transfer from other parts of the body and microvascular techniques for nerve and vessel reattachment. In radial forearm free flap (RFFF) phalloplasty, nerves from the forearm are…
Inclusion Criteria: * over the age of 18 * preoperative diagnosis of gender dysphoria and present for planned radial forearm free flap phalloplasty * willing to comply with all aspects of treatment as well as the study evaluation schedule Exclusion Criteria: * a known allergy to the study drug * a hematocrit of 54% or higher * a history of venous thromboembolism (VTE), peripheral phlebitis, stroke, or myocardial infarction within the last 6 months.
Topical irrigation with approximately 2 ccs of a 190 mM solution of 50% PEG 3.35 kD in sterile water
Arctuva estimate
Actual pay is set by the research site.
Verify or correct the compensation shown for this listing.