Peyronie’s Disease
Peyronie’s is most common among men in their 50s. Unfortunately, it tends to be under-reported because many men are uncomfortable discussing it and end up ignoring or denying the condition. Estimates are that 9% to 12% of men over the age of 50 experience some form of the disease.
Symptoms of Peyronie’s Disease
Symptoms sometimes seem to appear overnight. Other times they may gradually develop. Not every man has pain with Peyronie’s either. Common symptoms include:
- Reduced flexibility of the penis
- A penis that bends or arcs during erection
- Erectile dysfunction LINK to Conditions/Mens Sexual Health/ED
Milder forms can occur and resolve spontaneously, without problems.
Causes of Peyronie’s Disease
Peyronie’s disease is typically a result of inflammation and plaque formed after repeated trauma to the penis, commonly during sexual intercourse. Once plaque forms, a thick, inflexible scar can cause the penis to curve upwards, downwards or sideways.
Diagnosing Peyronie’s Disease
During your visit your doctor will perform a complete examination that includes feeling the hardened tissue (sometimes it is necessary to do the exam with the penis erect).
A measurement of your curvature may also be taken to determine the degree so that specific treatment can be provided.
Treating Peyronie’s Disease
Treatment depends on the degree of penile curvature, severity of penile shortening and/or narrowing and whether or not you also have erectile dysfunction.
If proactive treatment is recommended, here are the options we provide:
- XIAFLEX:[LINK to: Specialty Treatments/Men’s Health/XIAFLEX] A nonsurgical treatment during which the physician injects medication to weaken and break down the plaque that is causing an erect penis to curve.
- Verapamil injections:An ongoing treatment during which the physician injects a blood vessel relaxant directly into the scar tissue through a very small needle.
- Extenders:The physician may stretch the penis with vacuum devices.
- Surgery:
- Shortening the unaffected side:The surgeon shortens the longer side of the penis, creating equal lengths on both sides.
- Allograft:In more severe cases, the scar tissue is cut or partially removed on the shorter (affected) side of the penis, which is then covered with a natural graft material.
- Penile prosthesis:The physician implants a bendable or inflatable device into the penis, followed by penile straightening.
- Penile implant: [LINK to: Specialty Treatments/Men’s Health/Penile Implant] Your doctor may suggest a penile implant to address your ED if other treatments do not work or do not fit your lifestyle. There are two types of implants: Malleable (you bend the device manually to create an erection) or inflatable (you use a pump implanted in your scrotum to inflate the device to create an erection).
