What is Peyronie's Disease?

 

 

It most commonly occurs in middle aged men but can occur in both younger and older men. It occurs in up to 3-9% of men but most people have never heard of it. 

 

In Peyronie's disease, a plaque, or hard lump, forms on the upper or lower side of the penis in the layers containing erectile tissue. It begins as a localised inflammation and can develop into a hardened scar. It is benign but can grow and cause pain.

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Symptoms

 

Usually the plaque forms on the top of the shaft, making the penis bend upward. But if the plaque is on the underside it will bend downward. In some cases, the plaque develops on both top and bottom, leading to indentation and shortening of the penis. 

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In the worst cases, the hardened plaque reduces flexibility and causes so much pain, bending and emotional distress that sex becomes impossible.

 

Causes and risk factors

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The cause of Peyronie's disease isn't fully understood. There's a link to fibrosis or scarring of other tissues in the body such as a condition known as Dupuytren's contracture of the hand. There's also a mild family tendency to the disease. It is also found to be associated with Diabetes in 30% of cases. 

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Many researchers believe the plaque or lump in Peyronie's disease develops following repeated trauma such as hitting or bending that causes localised bleeding inside the penis. This leads to injury of the elastic lining of chambers inside the penis. 

 

Ageing increases the risk as a general reduction in elasticity of the body's tissues increases the chances of injury. If the damaged area heals slowly, the plaque undergoes fibrosis, or formation of tough fibrous tissue, and even calcification (formation of calcium deposits) resulting in a long-term problem. 

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But this theory doesn't explain those cases which develop slowly, or why similar conditions such as Dupuytren's contracture don't seem to result from severe trauma.

 

Treatment and recovery

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Peyronie's disease often occurs in a mild form that stops progressing without treatment after six to 18 months. However, for some men the problem is severe and disabling with regards to erections. 

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The main aim of treatment is to help the man stay sexually active. We try to avoid medical treatment as there is no strong evidence to show that any treatment other than surgery is effective. For many patients information and reassurance from an expert may be all that is required. 

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Surgery is usually performed after 12 months when the disease is stabilised and the deformity prevents intercourse. Because the symptoms of Peyronie's disease can improve without treatment, it is important to wait at least 6-12 months to allow the disease to stabilise before attempting to correct it surgically.

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Other currently unproven treatments available include:

 

• Vitamin E tablets. 

• Para-aminobenzoate tablets. 

• Injections of chemical agents such as collagenase, steroids and calcium channel blockers directly into the plaques (the most promising being collagenase, an enzyme that attacks collagen, the major component of Peyronie's plaques). 

• Shockwave lithotripsy therapy has also been used but, while it can reduce pain, the results have been very variable.

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Surgery

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We offer the following surgical operations for Peyronie’s disease: •If there is a deformity of greater than 45 degrees; incision or expansion of the plaque followed by placement of a patch of vein or collagen matrix (‘Lue’ procedure). This has a higher rate of maintaining the length of the penis. However, it can involve partial loss of erectile function, especially rigidity, and has a higher rate of complications than the Nesbit operation (see below). 

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• If the deformity is less than 45 degrees; removal or pinching of tissue from the side of the penis opposite the plaque, which cancels out the bending effect (‘Nesbit’ procedure). This invariably causes a shortening of the erect penis. After operative intervention, the deformity can sometimes recur and then a Lue procedure may need to be performed.

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If there is significant erectile dysfunction (that cannot be improved with medical therapy) associated with penile deformity, implantation of a penile implant device that increases rigidity of the penis. In some cases, an implant alone will straighten the penis adequately. In other cases, implantation is combined with a technique of incisions and grafting or plication (pinching or folding the skin)

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