Transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) adolescents and young adults (AYA) designated female at birth (DFAB) experience chest dysphoria, which is associated with depression and anxiety. Top surgery may be ...performed to treat chest dysphoria.
To determine whether top surgery improves chest dysphoria, gender congruence, and body image in TGNB DFAB AYA.
This is a nonrandomized prospective cohort study of patients who underwent top surgery between December 2019 and April 2021 and a matched control group who did not receive surgery. Patients completed outcomes measures preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. This study took place across 3 institutions in a single, large metropolitan city. Patients aged 13 to 24 years who presented for gender-affirming top surgery were recruited into the treatment arm. Patients in the treatment arm were matched with individuals in the control arm based on age and duration of testosterone therapy.
Patients in the surgical cohort underwent gender-affirming mastectomy; surgical technique was at the discretion of the surgeon.
Patient-reported outcomes were collected at enrollment and 3 months postoperatively or 3 months postbaseline for the control cohort. The primary outcome was the Chest Dysphoria Measure (CDM). Secondary outcomes included the Transgender Congruence Scale (TCS) and Body Image Scale (BIS). Baseline demographic and surgical variables were collected, and descriptive statistics were calculated. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to estimate the association of top surgery with outcomes. Probability of treatment was estimated using gradient-boosted machines with the following covariates: baseline outcome score, age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, insurance type, body mass index, testosterone use duration, chest binding, and parental support.
Overall, 81 patients were enrolled (mean SD age, 18.6 2.7 years); 11 were lost to follow-up. Thirty-six surgical patients and 34 matched control patients completed the outcomes measures. Weighted absolute standardized mean differences were acceptable between groups with respect to body mass index, but were not comparable with respect to the remaining demographic variables baseline outcome measures. Surgical complications were minimal. IPTW analyses suggest an association between surgery and substantial improvements in CDM (-25.58 points; 95% CI, -29.18 to -21.98), TCS (7.78 points; 95% CI, 6.06-9.50), and BIS (-7.20 points; 95% CI, -11.68 to -2.72) scores.
Top surgery in TGNB DFAB AYA is associated with low complication rates. Top surgery is associated with improved chest dysphoria, gender congruence, and body image satisfaction in this age group.
The health care crisis related to the spread of novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) has created new challenges to plastic surgery education, mostly because of the ...decreased volume of procedures. The plastic surgery program directors in Chicago decided to act and identify ways to promote surgical education through citywide, multi-institutional, systematic clinical case discussions. Although the initiative has no impact on the surgical skill of the trainees, it was welcomed by residents and faculty and promoted clinical core knowledge in plastic surgery and collaboration among the institutions.
The purpose of this study was to determine the existence and strength of association between chest dysphoria and mental health in transmasculine and nonbinary adolescents.
This is a cross-sectional ...cohort study of transmasculine and nonbinary adolescents designated female at birth between 12 and 18 years old. None had undergone prior top surgery. Patients complete the Chest Dysphoria Measure and Youth Inventory-4 (YI-4) upon presentation to our institution. Outcomes were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcome of interest was the association between chest dysphoria and anxiety and depression symptom severity, as measured by the YI-4.
One hundred fifty-six patients met inclusion criteria. Mean age was 15.3 years (standard deviation SD = 1.7). Most patients identified as transmasculine (n = 132); 18 identified as nonbinary and 6 as questioning. Mean (SD) YI-4 symptom severity scores were 10.67 (6.64) for anxiety and 11.99 (7.83) for depression. Mean (SD) Chest Dysphoria Measure composite score was 30.15 (9.95); range 2–49. Chest dysphoria was positively correlated with anxiety (r = .146; p = .002) and depression (r = .207; p < .001). In multivariate linear regression models, chest dysphoria showed a significant, positive association with anxiety and depression, after accounting for gender dysphoria, degree of appearance congruence, and social transition status.
Chest dysphoria is associated with higher anxiety and depression in transmasculine and nonbinary adolescents designated female at birth. This association is independent of level of gender dysphoria, degree of appearance congruence, and social transition status. Treatment options aimed at alleviating chest dysphoria should be made accessible to adolescents and tailored to individual needs.
Mastectomy for chest masculinization is a commonly performed gender-affirming surgery in minor patients, a vulnerable population with unique developmental and psychosocial needs. We aimed to use ...principles of medical ethics (eg, autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice) as a framework to analyze preoperative clinical decision making by pediatric plastic surgeons who work with transmasculine and nonbinary adolescents designated female at birth presenting for chest masculinization. Two patients were selected for inclusion in this case series based on the senior author's (J.F.C.) clinical experience. A retrospective chart review was conducted to extract relevant psychosocial and clinical information from clinic notes and supplemental documentation (eg, letters from outside providers) available in the electronic medical record. In case A, a 17-year-old patient presented to a plastic surgery clinic with mixed parental support and restrictive insurance requirements. In case B, a 16-year-old patient presented to the emergency room after an attempt to remove his own breasts. The cases highlight the role of the plastic surgeon in advocating for adolescent autonomy and justice by facilitating shared family decision making and navigating barriers to care. In addition, we recommend multidisciplinary care, including trusted, transcompetent mental health professionals, to ensure beneficence and nonmaleficence by providing timely care when appropriate.
Purpose:
Top surgery (i.e. mastectomy) has been shown to improve gender dysphoria and quality of life in adult transmasculine patients. However, even as an increasing number of adolescents and young ...adults present for gender-affirming surgery, the impact of top surgery on this population is not well described. Minor patients require parental consent and often face more stringent insurance restrictions. This prospective study aims to increase the body of evidence for gender-affirming top surgery in adolescents and young adults. We will measure the change in self-reported gender dysphoria, gender congruence, body image, and chest dysphoria.
Methods:
This is a prospective, multi-institutional study. Transmasculine and non-binary, designated female at birth, patients between the age of 13-25 years presenting for top surgery consultation were recruited from: Northwestern Memorial Hospital, The University of Illinois at Chicago, or Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Patients completed four patient-reported outcomes measures at three time points: pre-operative baseline, three-months postoperative, and one-year postoperative. The questionnaires employed included the Transgender Congruence Scale (TCS), the Utretcht Gender Dysphoria Scale (UGDS), the Chest Dysphoria Measure (CDM), and the Body Image Scale (BIS). Preliminary interim analysis of mean change scores between pre- and three-month postoperative surveys was performed using paired, two-sided t-tests with confidence level at 95%.
Results:
Thirty nine patients have been enrolled to date. At interim analysis, ten patients, mean age 18.6±2.9, range 15-24 years, had completed 3-month follow-up. Eight identified as transmasculine, one non-binary/genderqueer, and one identified as ‘other.’ Mean change from baseline to three-months of the TCS appearance congruence sub-scale was 7.3 points (p = 0.002), mean change of the internal congruence sub-scale was 0.1 points (p = 0.859), and total score scale was 7.4 points (p = 0.002). The UGDS demonstrated a mean change of -2.1 points at three-months (p = 0.099). The Chest Dysphoria Measure demonstrated mean change of -28.3 points at three-months (p < 0.001). The BIS total score mean change was -12.3 points at three-months (p = 0.011). Among the BIS subscales, the primary sexual characteristics score had a mean change of -5.5 points (p=0.003), secondary sexual characteristics had a mean change of -4.0 points (p = 0.047) and neutral characteristics had a mean change of -1.6 points (p = 0.259) at three months.
Conclusion:
Our preliminary findings demonstrate that gender-affirming chest surgery improves chest dysphoria, appearance congruence, and overall gender congruence in transmasculine and non-binary adolescents and young adults. We anticipate that the final data will inform clinical practice guidelines for transgender and non-binary patients seeking mastectomy and chest masculinization.
Purpose Residency programs must continue to restructure teaching and assessment of surgical skills to improve the documentation of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies. ...To improve teaching and documenting resident performance we developed a computer enhanced visual learning method that includes a curriculum and administrative reports. The curriculum consists of 1) study of a step-by-step surgical tutorial of computer enhanced visuals that show specific surgical skills, 2) a checklist tool to objectively assess resident performance and 3) a log of postoperative feedback that is used to structure deliberate practice. All elements of the method are repeated with each case performed. We used the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education index case of orchiopexy to pilot this project. Materials and Methods All urology residents who trained at our institution from January 2006 to October 2007 performed orchiopexy using the computer enhanced visual learning method. The computer enhanced visual learning tutorial for orchiopexy consisted of customized computer visuals that demonstrate 11 steps or skills involved in routine inguinal orchiopexy, eg ligate hernia. The attending urologist rated resident competence with each skill using a 5-point Likert scale and provided specific feedback to the resident suggesting ways to improve performance. These ratings were weighted by case difficulty. The computer enhanced visual learning weighted score at entry into the clinical rotation was compared to the best performance during the rotation in each resident. Results Seven attending surgeons and 24 urology residents (resident training postgraduate years 1 to 8) performed a total of 166 orchiopexies. Overall the residents at each postgraduate year performed an average of 7 cases each with complexity ratings that were not significantly different among postgraduate year groups (average 2.4, 1-way ANOVA p not significant). The 7 attending surgeons did not differ significantly in assessment of skill performance or case difficulty (1-way ANOVA p not significant). Of the 24 residents 23 (96%) showed improvement in computer enhanced visual learning score/skill performance. In the entire group the average computer enhanced visual learning weighted score increased more than 50% from entry to best performance (137 to 234 orchiopexy units, paired t test p <0.0001). Conclusions Computer enhanced visual learning is a novel method that enhances resident learning by breaking a core procedure into discrete steps and providing a platform for constructive feedback. Computer enhanced visual learning, which is a checklist tool, complies with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education documentation requirements. Computer enhanced visual learning has wide applicability among surgical specialties.
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