Peyronie's Disease Surgical Correction - Urology

Peyronie’s Disease Surgical Correction

Overview

Peyronie’s disease is a medical condition which includes development of scar tissue inside the penis. This results in painful and curved erections, and in some cases, in erectile dysfunction. While painful erections are a problem of their own, it further complicates things, as it causes painful sexual intercourse, and is even known to cause stress and anxiety in men.

Sometimes, Peyronie’s disease goes away on its own, but it most cases, the symptoms only get worse and progress, making an intervention absolutely necessary. Also, if the curvature is severe enough to cause problems with the intercourse, an intervention is also warranted.

The symptoms of Peyronie’s disease include:

• Scar tissue – These can be felt under the skin of the penis as bands of hard tissue or flat lumps
• Penis bending – When erect, the penis might bend in any direction (upward, downward, or to the side). While most penises are bent, if a bend is significant and it prevents intercourse, then it might be Peyronie’s. Also, in some cases it is possible that the penis has indentations, an hourglass appearance, or a narrowing when erect.
• Erection problems – Erectile dysfunction might be a symptom of Peyronie’s disease.
• Penis shortening – The penis might become shorter.
• Pain – With or without erection, it is possible to experience penile pain.

Causes for the Peyronie’s disease are still largely unknown. It is considered that repeated penile injuries, either during sexual or athletic activity, might be a significant cause, however, in most cases there is no recollection of specific injury to the penis. Other risk factors include:

• Heredity – If there were cases of Peyronie’s disease in the family, it might be possible that you can get it, too.
• Connective tissue disorders – A number of men who have Peyronie’s also have a thickening of the connective tissues in the palm of the hand which causes the fingers to pull inward.
• Age – Men after 55 years of age are more likely to get Peyronie’s disease.
• Smoking – As with all diseases related to blood and circulation, smoking is a great risk factor on its own.

Treatment of Peyronie’s Disease

While treatments for Peyronie’s disease may include medications, they have not been proven to be as effective as a surgical solution. The medications are still mostly in trial phases and are not completely understood.

There are three types of surgeries that are done to correct Peyronie’s disease:

• Suturing the unaffected side – It is possible to suture the side that is not affected by scar tissue in order to reverse the curvature inflicted by the disease. However, this leads to a (usually) perceived shortening of the penis and it might cause erectile dysfunction in some cases.
• Incision, excision and grafting – Another method is to make one or more cuts in the scar tissue and remove a part of it, so that the sheath could stretch out and straighten the penis. This might also include sewing a piece of tissue into the penis so that it can cover the holes that result from the surgery. This procedure also carries with it a higher risk of erectile dysfunction.
• Penile implants – Probably the best solution, especially if the disease has advanced significantly, is the removal of the spongy tissue that fills with blood, and replacing it with a penile implant. The implants might be manually bent upwards or downwards, depending on the need. There are also penile implants with a pump that is located in the scrotum, which allows the penis to reach erected state.

Benefits of Peyronie’s Disease Surgical Correction

• Since there are no 100% effective medications, surgical corrections stands as the only sure-fire way to correct the effects, especially erectile dysfunction which may result from the progression of the disease.
• It is either an outpatient procedure, or it requires a single overnight stay.
• You can return to your working duties in a couple of days.
• Removes erectile dysfunction

Choosing the Right Clinic

Surgical corrections for Peyronie’s disease have to be carried out by experienced surgeons who have already done this procedure, all in consultation with a skilled urologist. Look for their previous experience, their certifications and qualifications. Depending on the type of procedure, it is also important to consider the risks and whether or not the procedure will be beneficial. In some cases, the penile implant is the only solution, but it is important that the clinic has had a long-standing reputation regarding these procedures.

If you wish to know more about surgical correction procedures for Peyronie’s disease or you wish to find a clinic abroad which performs these procedures, feel free to contact us and even get a FREE quote for the procedure!