Peyronie’s disease background

Peyronie’s disease is a condition of the male reproductive system in which an exaggerated or overabundant scar develops after minor injury to the penis, resulting in varying degrees of curvature and distortion.The abnormal bend and malformation often results in sexual dysfunction and pain.

Since there is no known drug therapy for Peyronie’s disease some men seriously consider undergoing surgical correction as a way to address their problem. Peyronie’s disease surgery criteriaPeyronie’s disease surgery should be considered a realistic option only if a patient fulfills these general four conditions: 1. Severity of condition. This is by far the most important factor. Only if the distortion of Peyronie’s disease places serious limitations on sexual function should it be considered worth the risk of surgery for any potential rewards anticipated. 2. Enough time has passed. Anywhere from 12-18 months from the onset of PD should have lapsed to allow for any potential healing to occur.It is a mistake to enter into surgical intervention before adequate time for self-repair has been given a chance. 3. Not responsive to any treatment.While waiting for the standard one to two year repair phase, a man with PD should use a variety of drug and natural therapies to assist healing. 4. Stability of condition. Only when a case of PD has stabilized, having not improved or worsened for at least six months to a year, will any surgical outcome be thought of as the best opportunity in most cases.

Risks of Peyronie’s disease surgery Martin K. Gelbard, MD, a urologist, is noted to state, "Unfortunately, surgery does not offer a cure for Peyronie’s disease. The scarring in men with deformity severe and persistent enough to warrant an operation represents an irreversible loss of connective tissue elasticity. Though surgical restoration of sexual function can be both effective and reliable, potential candidates need to understand the compromise inherent in this approach."

The use of the term "compromise" in this quote means that some degree of the original Peyronie’s disease pain, problem and limitation will often remain post-surgically and might even be permanent and worse than the original problem. In addition to persistence of old problems even after surgery, new problems sometimes develop in spite of the best technique and skill of the Peyronie’s disease surgeon.

It is a popular axiom that all surgery has risk; none is completely safe or foolproof. Perhaps the single most surprising fact is that no Peyronie’s disease surgery can bring return the penis to its original condition. No one undergoes PD surgery without some reduction of length and circumference. Some surgical techniques shorten the penis more than others, while some can be more effective in reducing penile curvature than others. Each surgery runs the very real risk of not completely straightening the PD bend or curve; some even result in greater curvature after surgery than before it, due to unavoidable additional excess scar formation.

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