Peyronie's DiseaseTreatment Options

Prescribed Medication

Peyronie’s disease treatment options include oral medication or topical treatments applied externally to relieve the pain. Your doctor or urologist may prescribe these, but none of these treatments will stop the progression of the disease.

However there is evidence that in 10% of cases where patients are suffering minor Peyronie’s disease, their condition may go away naturally or they may be left with minor penis curvature.

Penile Pump for Peyronie’s Disease

This will involve a series of penis stretching exercises and the use of a Vacuum Erection Device (VED) to strengthen the penis and reduce the bend. You will need to use the vacuum pump twice a day for 10-minutes each time.

However, downsides of VED therapy include penile bruising, petechiae and sometimes extensive hematoma or pain. What’s more continuous use of VED may result in pigmentation of the penile skin due to repeated skin bruising.

You can find out more about Peyronie’s Disease & Penile Vacuum Pumps by following the link.

Penile Injections for Peyronie’s Disease

There are no medically approved injections to treat PD in the UK, though in other parts of the world there are. In the USA the Food and Drug Administration have approved the use of a drug that contains an enzyme, collagenase. This is injected directly into the plaque in the penis to destroy it and reduce the curvature.

Four cycles of treatment are needed over several weeks for the injections to work. The trial that led to approval of injections in the USA saw a 35 percent improvement in curvature.

The makers of the drug say that they withdrew it from Europe to concentrate on their home market.

Other Therapies for Peyronie’s Plaque

Other treatment options are available that breaks ups and clears plaque in the penis.

This one is both a non-invasive and a low pain treatment and many men have completely straight penises after just a few weeks.

A beneficial side effect is the ‘Viagra effect’; where it increases natural sexual function.

Peyronie’s Disease Surgery

Surgery is the most extreme and life-changing of the Peyronie’s disease treatment options. Prior to recent developments it was the only option for many men.

Penile Implants – Peyronie’s Disease

Penile implants have been used to treat severe cases of Peyronie’s disease that lead to a curved penis and painful erections. It is commonly used when patients experience both Peyronie’s Disease and Erectile Dysfunction.

The implant is inserted within the penis and is operated by a mechanical pump that is used to create an erection. Normal, natural and spontaneous erections can no longer be achieved and penis sensitivity and penile length is reduced depending on what prothesis is used

Surgical Graft – Peyronie’s Disease

This surgery has been the procedure for men with complex or severe penile curvature and can only be performed at the stable, chronic stage of Peyronie’s Disease, normally after a period of 18-months.

It entails cutting out most of the fibrous plaque and replacing it with an animal or synthetic graft patch to fill the gap. The nerves at the top of the penis or Urethra are dissected prior to the main operation and replaced when surgery is complete.

Grafting procedures are normally carried out where there is severe curvature and the starting penile length is too short, to undertake penile plication. This surgery carries a risk of post-operative erectile dysfunction and a loss of sensitivity in the penis. Post op patients are required to undertake penile stretching and take medication.

Surgery – Penile Plication

This is the last of the Peyronie’s disease treatment options covered on this page. Penile Plication surgery is normally undertaken with patients who don’t also suffer erectile dysfunction and experience a moderate curvature of less than 60 degrees.

This procedure can only be performed in the stable chronic phase of Peyronies disease, normally 18-months after of the onset of the condition. It involves shortening the long side of the penis (as experienced when erect) to match the side where the fibrous plaque is located. A patient will experience a 1 cm loss in overall penile length for every 15 degrees curvature. This can result in a shortening of the penis length by as much as 5 cm.

In addition to accepting loss in penile length, many patients complain that sutures and knots in the penis are uncomfortable.

To find out more or to make an appointment to discuss your problems and recent developments in treatment, please call us or complete the details in the contact form below.