TOPICS

Peyronie’s Disease

Peyronie's disease is the development of scar tissue in the penis. We do not always know what causes the scar tissue; however, most times it is the result of an injury or decreased blood flow. This scar tissue can cause pain and/or curvature of the penis and may also result in a decrease in penile size and erections.

Treatment for this disease focuses on repairing and reforming the scar tissue. This process may sometimes take months or years to remodel and reform the scar tissue.

Our Urologists have extensive experience in treating Peyronie's disease. Last year we treated over 300 patients for this disease. We take great pride in being "on the cutting edge" of treatment for this difficult problem. Our goal is to find the best treatment for each individual patient.

Treatment for Peyronie's Disease

There are number of treatment options and each will have different results. These include:

• Topical creams which can be absorbed into the skin are usually tried first. This can be Vitamin E cream, hydrocortisone cream or plaque gel.
• Oral medicines can also help remodel the scar tissue and increase blood flow. This medications include Trental^TM, Vitamin E pills, Desyrel^TM, Potoba^TM or Colchicine^TM.
• Vacuum Erection Devices are used to increase the blood flow and stretch the scar tissue.
• Iontophoresis which uses an electrical charge to drag chemicals through the scar tissue making the scar tissue softer. The drugs used are Verapamil^TM and steroids.
• Plaque injection with chemicals such as Verapamil^TM is used to dissolve the plaque.
• Shock wave therapy is currently being used in England and may be used in the United States after FDA approval.
• Radiation has been used in the past but is not currently recommended unless it is in extremely low doses. This is to reduce the chance of possible damage from this therapy in the future.
• Surgery can be performed to straighten the penis, but this is dependent upon the location of the scar tissue and quality of the patient's erections.

What should you do if you think you have Peyronie's Disease?

If you think you may have Peyronie's disease, we recommend you schedule an appointment to see one of our Urologists. If you are not in the Birmingham area we suggest you see your local urologist who specializes in the treatment Peyronie's Disease .