%0 Journal Article
%T Correction for false statement
%A Milton Diamond
%J International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1687-9856-2012-1
%X A false statement has been published in your journal in an article by P. A. Lee and C. P. Houk. (2010) Article ID 563640. "The Role of Support Groups, Advocacy Groups, and Other Interested Parties in Improving the Care of Patients with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: Pleas and Warnings [1]."These authors say "Confrontational tactics used by "advocacy" groups have included pressuring the medical community to adopt narrow mandates, such as a moratorium on all reproductive system surgery (six), that cannot apply to the broad range of situations encountered in practice or the use of accusations regarding therapy received by patients in the past."In support of their argument they cite our paper (M. Diamond & H. K. Sigmundson, Management of intersexuality. Guidelines for dealing with persons with ambiguous genitalia. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 1997;151(10):1046-1050 [2]. We have been wrongly quoted and cited.Here is exactly what we say:"Perform no major surgery for cosmetic reasons alone; only for conditions related to physical/medical health. This will entail a great deal of explanation needed for the parents who will want their children to "look normal." Explain to them that appearances during childhood, while not typical of other children, may be of less importance than functionality and post pubertal erotic sensitivity of the genitalia. Surgery can potentially impair sexual/erotic function. Therefore such surgery, which includes all clitoral surgery and any sex reassignment, should typically wait until puberty or after when the patient is able to give truly informed consent." [emphasis added].Our emphasis was on cosmetic surgery and since our statement no evidence has shown any surgery had been of benefit. Many unneeded surgeries have been devastating.Significantly damaging were those surgeries imposed on males that were sex reassigned for different reasons. Often these were instances where the penis was considered too small for appropriate male sta
%U http://www.ijpeonline.com/content/2012/1/1