Surgical and Post Surgical Implications for Transgender Patients

Jonathan Keith, M.D., FACS

East Coast Advanced Plastic Surgery; Clinical Associate Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Population studies suggest that 0.5 to 1% of the population identifies as transgender or gender non-conforming. As availability and insurance coverage of surgical procedures to treat gender dysphoria expands, it is important for medical professionals to understand the surgical indications, procedures and consequences of gender affirming surgery. This lecture will introduce important concepts in modern gender affirming surgery. Perioperative considerations for top surgery (chest) and bottom surgery (genital) for male to female, female to male and gender non-conforming/non-binary patients will be discussed. Indications, complications and outcomes for specific procedures such as facial feminization, chondrolaryngoplasty (tracheal shave), chest masculinization, breast augmentation, phalloplasty, metoidioplasty and robotic vaginoplasty will be described. Physicians and clinicians will gain invaluable insight into the perioperative care of the transgender patient and their role in the multidisciplinary approach to modern gender affirmation.