Male Fertility

At London Urology, we specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions which affect men’s reproductive system.

Conditions Treated

Peyronie’s Disease is fairly common and can occur at any age. It is caused by damage to the penile tissue, which creates a scarring under the skin, known as a plaque. The plaque then causes the penis to bend upwards, downwards or become indented.

Symptoms

The first stage of the disease is known as the inflammatory stage, leading to the chronic stage, during which symptoms include:

• Pain experienced during erections.
• A thickening of scar tissue under the skin.
• Curving of the erect penis.

Causes

There are a number of theories concerning the cause of Peyronie’s Disease, including:

• Infection
• Genetic predisposition
• Fibrosis or scarring of other tissues in the body
• Smoking
• Vascular disease leading to increased risk

Treatment

In most cases Peyronie’s Disease does not require surgical treatment unless there is an inability to penetrate, or difficulty having intercourse.

Non-surgical treatments

Vitamin E, Potassium aminobenzoate, Potaba, colchicine or Verapamil can in some cases reduce pain.

Injections of the calcium channel blocker verapamil and interferon have been shown to improve pain, curvature and sexual functioning.

Surgical treatments

For surgical treatment, the disease must have been present for a year and stable for three to six months but surgery should only be considered if there is difficulty with intercourse.

Nesbit procedure – shortening the penis

Incision and grafting – making an incision and inserting graft material into the curvature, which can also be used to treat deformities of the penis where Peyronie’s disease causes indentation on one side. The graft is inserted into the indented area to expand the penis’s circumference.

Penile prostheses – Peyronie’s disease associated with erectile dysfunction is more challenging to treat surgically. If there is a mild degree of erectile dysfunction, it may be possible to carry out a Nesbit procedure combined with medication to improve erections post surgery. For patients with significant erectile dysfunction, or who have risk factors pointing to this complication post-operatively, it is best to offer penile prosthesis insertion from the outset. This treats both the erectile dysfunction and the curvature.

Find out more with our Peyronie’s Disease FAQ.