Immediate Lymphovenous Bypass Treated Donor Site Lymphedema during Phalloplasty for Gender Dysphoria

Demand for gender-affirming phalloplasty continues to grow worldwide, and the extended radial forearm flap phalloplasty remains one of the most commonly performed techniques. One potential morbidity that has emerged is postoperative donor site lymphedema, which was susceptible to develop after harvest of extended radial forearm flap. In the setting of preventative or immediate lymphovenous bypass (LVB) with axillary lymph node dissection for the treatment of breast cancer, it is possible that a subset of patients undergoing gender-affirmation surgery would benefit from immediate lymphatic reconstruction at the time of primary phalloplasty. Here, we report a case in which intraoperative indocyanine green lymphography demonstrated lymphatic obstruction within the left donor hand after flap harvest, and was treated with immediate LVB at the time of extended radial forearm phalloplasty. Two surgical teams operated simultaneously: the reconstructive urology team performed the vaginectomy, perineal urethral lengthening, scrotoplasty, and perineal reconstruction; and the microsurgery team harvested the extended radial forearm, constructed the penile urethra, shaped the phallus, and performed the immediate LVB. Lymphography showed no dermal backflow at 5 months follow-up; at 13 months, the patient demonstrated no signs or symptoms of lymphedema in the left forearm or hand. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first report of confirmed donor site lymphedema following extended radial forearm flap harvest, which was successfully treated with immediate LVB. Careful evaluation of lymphatic vessels with indocyanine green lymphography in the forearm before and after extended flap harvest may be warranted.