Short frenulum (frenulum breve)

Explanation

The glans is connected to the shaft of the penis just below the opening of the urethra by the frenulum (sometimes called the banjo string). If the frenulum is too short, this can cause pain, especially during sex. The frenulum can also tear, which can result in heavy bleeding (which, however, usually stops on its own).
Frenulum breve can either be congenital or occur following inflammation.

Treatment

If a torn frenulum is bleeding and does not stop bleeding after applying compression, it will need to be sutured under a local anaesthetic. It is also possible to perform an operation called a frenuloplasty (see below).

To permanently resolve a short frenulum, it needs to be lengthened using a procedure known as frenuloplasty. This involves cutting the frenulum horizontally under a local anaesthetic until the glans is sufficiently mobile. The cut is then sutured with self-absorbing sutures in the direction of the shaft of the penis.