Peyronie’s
Peyronie’s is a disease that leads to the formation of scar tissue plaque on a man’s penis.
About Peyronie’s
It affects around 9% of the male population and can appear at any age, although the prevalence is higher in men older than 35 years of age. In most cases, men suffering from Peyronie’s disease will notice a lump on their penis and/or that their penis is curved when erect. In addition to the
lump and the penile curvature, other concomitant signs of Peyronie’s disease are penile pain and the onset of erectile dysfunction, as well as loss of erect penis length and girth. In a number of cases, Peyronie’s disease is asymptomatic and will go unnoticed by patients.
We understand that a diagnosis of Peyronie’s is stressful for men.
Symptoms of Peyronie’s
Diagnosis of Peyronie’s Disease
The most common symptoms are summarised below:
- Lump on the penis
- Penile curvature, sometimes as severe as 90 degrees
- Penile pain
- Loss of erect penis length and girth
- Onset of erectile dysfunction
Whether any of the above symptoms are present depends entirely on the size, shape and location of the scar tissue plaque. Some patients with very large plaque affected areas may have no symptoms at all and others with very small ones, may develop severe symptoms.
Unfortunately, most patients suffering from Peyronie’s report that the disease has a significant impact on their quality of life and 1 in 2 patients report severe psychological distress and even depression.
We understand that a diagnosis of Peyronie’s is stressful for men. Irrespective of the stage and severity of the disease there is always a treatment option as long as patients seek help from specialised doctors.
Our BUA Peyronie’s disease specialists are able to diagnose the stage at which the disease has progressed, through physical examination and specialist imaging in which the plaques can be examined. Following a diagnosis of Peyronie’s, your BUA Consultant will recommend a treatment plan tailored to you, your objectives and the extent of the disease. The experience of our Consultants in this area is state-of-the-art, both for optimal surgical and optimal non-surgical treatments.
Although Peyronie’s is a debilitating disease for patients, it is important to remember it is treatable in the majority of cases and you will able to regain a healthy and functional sexual life.
Treatment Options for Peyronie’s Disease
Despite the severity of the condition and the detrimental effect it usually has on patients, all cases of Peyronie’s disease are treatable and the majority of patients can regain a healthy sexual life as long as appropriate treatment by experienced doctors is sought and administered.
There are various treatment options that have been developed for Peyronie’s disease – these fall under four broad categories:
- Conservative treatment options such as oral medication, topical treatments and supplements – unfortunately to date none of these have proved to have a significant effect on reducing penile curvature or plaque size but some can help with pain management and potentially slowing the disease progress
- Xiapex Injection therapy is the latest treatment option available for Peyronie’s and the first non-surgical therapy that has proved effective in treating Peyronie’s plaque. We recommend Xiapex as a first line of treatment (depending on the severity of the disease).
- Mechanical modelling involves using a vacuum erection device and penile stretching and straightening exercises with the aim of reducing the curvature. Mechanical modelling on its own is unlikely to totally correct the curvature, but can allow ‘damage limitation’. It can be used in conjunction with Xiapex and also with tablet therapy.
- Before the introduction of Xiapex, surgery was the only effective treatment for penile curvature caused by Peyronie’s and still remains the most successful for most patients. Surgery should only be performed after the disease progress has stopped which usually occurs 12 months from onset (chronic phase).
- If surgical correction is not possible then penile prosthesis insertion – which we do at the BUA – has a high success rate.
Peyronie’s treatment process at the BUA, in most cases, is a combination of these treatment options depending on a patient’s individual profile, the stage and the severity of the disease.
Although Peyronie’s is a debilitating disease for patients, it is important to remember it is treatable in the majority of cases and you will able to regain a healthy and functional sexual life. If you believe you are suffering from Peyronie’s and it causes you significant concern we advise you to see a specialist Urologist. Our BUA doctors have vast experience treating Peyronie’s and our clinic is an national referral centre for patients suffering from this condition. We would be happy to review your case and treat you in our clinic.
