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Metoidioplasty Surgery » Surgeons

Dr. Curtis Crane

Experienced Metoidioplasty Surgeon in Austin, Texas

Dr. Curtis Crane, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Austin, Texas who has many years of experience performing Metoidioplasty surgery. Dr. Crane completed more than 10 years of post-medical school surgical training, including a 6-year urology residency, and fellowship training in reconstructive urology and transgender surgery. He is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and is a member of the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH.)

Dr. Crane has been performing gender surgery since 2005, working alongside several pioneers in the field: Dr. Djordjevic in Serbia, Dr. Preecha in Thailand, and Dr. Monstrey in Belgium. Dr. Crane opened his San Francisco practice in 2012, followed by a second location in Austin in 2016. He now practices exclusively out of the Austin location, while his colleague at the Crane Center for Transgender Surgery, Dr. Min Jun, offers Metoidioplasty at the San Francisco location.

Did you know? The opening of Dr. Crane's practice in San Francisco has connections with the origins of Metoidioplasty surgery. Dr. Crane took over the practice of world-renowned surgeon, Dr. Michael Brownstein, who for 35 years was one of only a handful of surgeons in the United States who would perform Top Surgery. Dr. Brownstein had also devised a female-to-male genital procedure that he called Genitalplasty (which is a generic term that simply refers to plastic surgery to the genitals.) The American author and transgender activist Lou Sullivan was Dr. Brownstein's second Genitoplasty patient. Dr. Lebovic and Dr. Laub are credited with first introducing the main principles of the Metoidioplasty technique in a study they published in 1989, but that was at least three years after Dr. Brownstein had started performing his Genitoplasty. The technical differences between Dr. Brownstein's Genitoplasty and Metoidioplasty, if any, are not clear.

With deep expertise in genitourinary reconstruction, Dr. Crane is able to offer variations of Metoidioplasty that suit patients' different needs, ranging from Simple Release to Full Metoidoiplasty. Vaginectomy, Urethral Lengthening, Scrotoplasty and Testicular Implants are all optional. Dr. Crane uses solid silicone testicular implants made by Alpha Aesthetics. If a larger scrotum is desired, tissue expanders can be used. Some patients may also benefit from a Monsplasty, or mons resection, which can help improve the forward positioning of the phallus and scrotum.

Dr. Crane operates at Arise Austin Medical Center and Westlake Hills Surgery Center.

Metoidioplasty is an outpatient procedure, with an optional one-night hospital stay (extra fees apply.) Patients should plan to stay in Austin for approximately two weeks following surgery.

Surgery Requirements
Dr. Crane follows WPATH guidelines for surgery. You will need to provide two referrals from qualified mental health professionals and a letter from your hormone specialist stating you have been on 12 months of continuous hormones for genital procedures, unless clinically contraindicated. Additionally, patients must be 18+ years of age.

Financing & Insurance
The exact cost of Metoidioplasty can only be determined following a consultation with Dr. Crane.
Dr. Crane accepts insurance and is in-network with Cigna PPO, Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Commercial United Healthcare PPO and Employer Health Network (Whole Foods). He has also had success billing as an out-of-network provider with United Healthcare, Aetna, Group Health, Harvard Pilgrim, HealthPartners and Medica. Dr. Crane also accepts medical financing via CareCredit.

Dr. Crane does not work with the following insurance providers: Medicare, Medicaid, Tri-Care, Kaiser, Ambetter and Oscar Health.

Booking a Consultation
Dr. Crane is available for phone or in-person consultations in Austin. If insurance is out-of-network, then the cost of the consultation is $200. If in-network, the consultation fee is the specialist co-pay. An in-person consultation is not required for booking a surgery date.

Current wait list: 4-6 weeks for a consultation, 5-6 weeks for a surgery date.

View photos of Dr. Crane' s Metoidioplasty Results »

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