Introduction. Peyronie's disease is the result of the formation of fibrous plaques in the tunica albuginea of the penis; typical presentations of the disease are represented by pain during erection, erectile dysfunction, and penile deformities, such as curvature, narrowing, and penile shortening. The most complex treatment is related to penile shortening. Aim. To find a safe procedure in penile shortening due to Peyronie's disease providing a satisfactory lengthening, allowing an early stabilization of the penis, and preventing axial tension on the neurovascular bundles during dilation. Methods. We describe a new lengthening surgical procedure based on a ventro-dorsal incision of the tunica albuginea, penile prosthesis implantation, and double dorsal-ventral patch grafting with porcine small intestinal submucosa. Three patients, affected by Peyronie's disease with penile shortening and erectile dysfunction, underwent this procedure with approval of our local ethical committee. We evaluated the penis lengthening, intraoperative and postoperative complications, patient's preoperative and postoperative sexual life satisfaction (International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF] questionnaire).
A cohort of 20 patients with delayed priapism who underwent treatment at the Emergency Department of our academic referral centers between January 2002 and April 2010 was studied. Of these, 16 cases suffered from a low-flow priapism. A total of 6 cases were managed nonsurgically, 10 required shunt surgery, and of these 5 were treated by early penile prosthesis surgery. Prostheses were easily implanted in all patients with a mean operative time of 94 min. No intraoperative complications and no infection were registered. All patients with an inflatable prosthesis complained a reduction in penile sensibility that lasted 3 months. All patients were satisfied with the results of surgery (International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire-5, Q5 mean value 4), and all were successfully engaging in satisfactory sexual intercourses. No significant loss of penile length, neither apical erosion nor extrusion was recorded. Early insertion of a penile prosthesis is a simple and safe procedure in patients with ischemic priapism, which failed to respond to conservative management. Early insertion of a prosthesis helps to maintain adequate penile length, resolve priapism and, in the long term, it results in high satisfaction rates.
Objectives
To report the results from a prospective multicentric study of patients with Peyronie's disease (PD) treated with the ‘sliding’ technique (ST).
Patients and Methods
From June 2010 to January 2014, 28 consecutive patients affected by stable PD with severe penile shortening and end‐stage erectile dysfunction (ED) were enrolled in three European PD tertiary referral centres. The validated International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire, the Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP) Questions 2 and 3, and the Peyronie's disease questionnaire (PDQ) were completed preoperatively by all patients. At the follow‐up visits (at 3, 6 and 12 months), the IIEF, the SEP Questions 2 and 3, the PDQ, and the Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS) were completed. The outcome analysis was focused on penile length restoration, and intra‐ and postoperative complications classified according the Clavien–Dindo Classification.
Results
The mean (range) follow‐up was 37 (9–60) months. A malleable penile prosthesis (PP) was implanted in seven patients, while an inflatable three‐pieces PP was placed in the remainder. In the case of inflatable PP implantation, porcine small intestinal submucosa and acellular porcine dermal matrix were used to cover the tunical defects. While in patients undergoing malleable PP implantation, collagen‐fibrin sponge was used. The mean operative time was 145 min in the inflatable PP group and 115 min in the malleable PP group. There were no intraoperative complications. Postoperative complications included profuse bleeding requiring a blood transfusion in one patient (3.5%) on anticoagulation therapy for a mechanical heart valve (Grade II) and PP infection requiring the removal of the device (7%) (Grade III). There were no late recurrences of the shaft deformation. The postoperative functional data showed a progressive improvement in the score of all questionnaires, peaking at 12 months postoperatively. The mean (range) penile lengthening was 3.2 (2.5–4) cm and no patient reported recurrence of the curvature.
Conclusions
The present series suggests that, in the hands of experienced high‐volume surgeons, penile length restoration with the use of the ST represents an effective option for end‐stage PD associated with ED and severe shortening of the shaft. Larger series and longer follow‐up will be required to fully establish the efficacy of this procedure.
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