Concealed cysts presenting as 'Club' penis: a case report

BACKGROUND: Penile swellings are not very common. They usually present as an obvious lesion visible and palpable either on the penile shaft, glans, or prepuce. Rarely, benign swellings may be concealed by phimosis and can present as “club” penis. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 30-year-old Indian male man who presented with the complaint of difficulty in retracting his foreskin and a club-shaped distal penis. There were palpable lumps on either side of the glans penis which were concealed by the foreskin; hence, a proper preoperative clinical diagnosis was not possible. Circumcision revealed the presence of two discrete cystic swellings from inner prepuce which were excised. Histopathology was suggestive of epidermoid cysts. CONCLUSIONS: Although epidermoid cysts are common cutaneous swellings, they are rarely seen on the penis. They generally present as a small solitary swelling on the penile surface and occurrence at multiple sites is very rare. Epidermoid cysts arising from inner prepuce, hiding within and presenting as club penis have not been reported. Thus, benign lumps should be considered an etiology for phimosis.