Home › Buried Penis › 3D Surgical Atlas
Adult Acquired Buried Penis in 3D: An Interactive Surgical Atlas
By Alex J. Vanni, MD, FACS — Director, Center for Reconstructive Urologic Surgery, Lahey Clinic
A normal penis hidden in the fat above it, and the three steps that bring it back. Rotate the model, open it in cutaway to see the penis buried inside the suprapubic fat pad, then step through the removal of the fat pad, the reshaping of the scrotum and the skin graft.
The interactive model needs WebGL, which is not available in this browser. The anatomy and each procedure are described in full below.
Schematic teaching model. Anatomy is simplified and not to scale in every detail. For education only, not for clinical use.
How to Use the Atlas
- Look aroundDrag to rotate. Pinch, or hold Ctrl and scroll, to zoom. Shift-drag moves the model.
- Look insideCutaway opens the model along the midline, showing how the penis sits hidden within the suprapubic fat.
- Ask what something isClick any structure for its name and its part in the repair.
What the Four Views Show
-
The buried penis
In an adult acquired buried penis, the penis itself is normal but is hidden within the suprapubic fat pad, called the escutcheon, and tethered by scar and a webbed scrotum. Urine is trapped against the skin, causing infection, skin breakdown and, often, lichen sclerosus.
-
Escutcheonectomy
The excess suprapubic fat and skin are removed through an incision across the lower abdomen. Adhesions and scar are released, and the penis is freed and brought back out.
-
Scrotoplasty
Excess and webbed scrotal skin is removed and the scrotum is reshaped, restoring a normal angle where the penis meets the scrotum.
-
Skin graft
The skin of the shaft is often scarred or missing once the penis is freed. It is covered with a thin skin graft taken from the removed escutcheon itself, so no separate donor site is needed.
A catheter typically remains for 1 to 2 weeks. Buried penis repair achieves durable restoration of normal anatomy in approximately 90% of patients when performed at high-volume centers. See recovery after buried penis repair and the buried penis FAQs.
The Structures Involved
- Escutcheon
- The suprapubic fat pad above the penis. When it grows large, it engulfs the penis.
- Penoscrotal web
- Scrotal skin tethered up the underside of the penis, which further hides it.
- Split-thickness skin graft
- A thin layer of skin, here taken from the removed escutcheon, used to cover the shaft of the penis.
- Corpora cavernosa
- The erectile chambers. In a buried penis they are normal in size, just hidden.
About This Model
The atlas is a schematic built for teaching. Shapes and proportions are simplified, the case is a constructed example rather than a real patient, and every patient’s anatomy is different. It is not a substitute for an individual evaluation.
This page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for an individual medical evaluation. Reviewed by Alex J. Vanni, MD, FACS. Last updated September 19, 2026.
Questions About a Buried Penis?
Dr. Vanni reconstructs adult acquired buried penis, including complex and revision cases, for patients from across New England and nationwide.
Call (781) 744-8762 or learn more about buried penis reconstruction.