Phimosis


Phimosis is a medical condition in which the foreskin of the penis of an uncircumcised male cannot be fully retracted. The word derives from the Greek phimos (, "muzzle"). The term is confusing because it is used to denote both a physiological stage of development (i.e. not a disease), and a pathological condition (i.e. a condition that causes problems for a person). Elasticity and ambiguity of definition are especially common when referring to infants. Conflicting incidence reports and widely varying post-neonatal circumcision rates reflect looseness in the diagnostic criteria.[1][2] Phimosis has become a topic of contention in circumcision debates[3] (see also Medical analysis of circumcision).