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Persistent penile preputial frenulum
Synonym(s): Penile deviation, frenulum, genital disorders, bull, infertility
Introduction
- Cause: failure of the preputial attachment to break down during puberty.
- Signs: deviation of the penis with a visible persistent frenulum once the penis is extruded. Indirect signs include infertility in the bull, with females returning to estrus.
- Diagnosis: stimulation to achieve penile extrusion, upon which the penile deviation and persistent frenulum can be seen.
- Treatment: removal of the frenulum in the standing bull. Care: because of a hereditary component, only to be done in bulls used as terminal sires.
- Prognosis: full breeding capacity is expected post-surgery.
Presenting signs
- Ventral deviation of the distal penis (the ‘free end’) into a hook-shape, with an obvious band of tissue present between the tip of the penis and the prepuce
.
- Indirect signs include infertility in a breeding bull, caused by a failure to achieve intromission. Females that the bull is running with return to estrus.
Geographic incidence
- Recognized and described worldwide.
Age predisposition
- Typically detected when young bulls are examined for breeding soundness, or start mounting or masturbating.
Breed/Species predisposition
- No firm predisposition proven. Reviews show little evidence for the at one time postulated link between the condition and polled breeds.
- In contrast to Bos taurus breeds, Bos indicus bulls may be able to achieve intromission despite a persistent frenulum.
Cost considerations
- Only of economic or clinical significance in bulls intended for breeding.
- Surgical correction is straight-forward and incurs little costs.
- The condition is believed to have a hereditary component, and affected bulls should not be used to sire offspring intended for breeding. This may incur substantial costs because of the loss of pedigree animals.
Pathogenesis
Etiology
- Normally, the attachment between the penile and preputial epithelium that is present in the pre-pubertal bull separates during puberty under the influence of testosterone. During this separation, the frenulum ruptures. This process fails in affected bulls, resulting in a narrow tissue band stretching between the prepuce and the ventral aspect of the penis just proximal to the glans penis.
- In rare cases, the frenulum remains attached over a broad base.
- The persistent frenulum may contain one or more blood vessels.
Predisposing factors
Specific
- Reduced levels of circulating testosterone or androgens have not been shown in affected bulls. This, in conjunction with the fact that all pre-pubertal bulls have a preputial attachment, indicates that this is not a congenital condition.
Timecourse
- In the normal bull, the preputial attachment becomes separates between about 4 and 10 months of age.
- Rarely does the frenulum separate in bulls older than 12 months of age. However, if presented with a valuable yearling bull, re-examination after 3-4 months may be considered.
Epidemiology
- Prevalence based on breeding soundness examination results ranges from 0.5 – 2.0%.
Diagnosis
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Treatment
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Prevention
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Outcomes
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Further Reading
Publications
Refereed Papers
- Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
- Wolfe D F (2018) Review: Abnormalities of the bull – occurrence, diagnosis and treatment of abnormalities of the bull, including structural soundness. Animal 12 (s1), 148-157 PubMed.
- Parmar S C (2016) Impotentia coeundi and impotentia generandi: A male infertility. Res J Sci Tech 8 (2), 113-121. DOI: 10.5958/2349-2988.2016.00015.2
Other sources of information
- Wolfe D F, Carson R L (1999) Juvenile anomalies of the penis and prepuce. In: Large Animal Urogenital Surgery. Eds: Wolfe D F & Moll H D. Williams & Wilkins. pp 233.