Here's my methodology for sorting through the possibilities:
1. Search the internet for horror stories.
2. Research the different techniques - Is it one stage or two stage? Penile inversion or scrotal? Use of urethral mucosa, or not?
3. Search for horror stories.
4. Request information on the doctors' recommended dilation regimen. This can give an indication of the extent of reconstruction that the doctor performs, and how much surgical trauma you will undergo.
5. Search for horror stories.
6. If a surgeon is presenting at a convention and you can afford it, go! Take lots of notes. Ask lots of questions. Take the surgeon's comments about other doctors with a grain of salt., Same with the gushing comments by his or her graduates (they WILL be in the audience...)
7. Search for horror stories.
The final choice is up to you. Make an INFORMED decision, and make rational trade-offs. Perfection of results is not guaranteed, but the attempt may guarantee a longer, more painful and exhausting recovery. Maybe going with a surgeon whose technique is less invasive will lead to a higher chance of acceptable results and you will have a faster, less painful recovery.
You decide...
Karen