Peyronie's Disease: What you should know about penile curvature and prostate surgery

(Adapted from this thread. I think this topic deserves its own post to help people find it via the site's Search tool. Hopefully the mods will also include it in the "Newly Diagnosed with PC?" sticky post.)

What you should know about Peryonie's Disease

Peyronie's Disease is an unexplained scar formation in the penis, which typically causes unusual curvature and shrinkage. This condition occurs in 3% (some research indicates as much at 9%) of the healthy male population. However, Peyronie's occurs in 15% of men who have had prostate surgery.

This condition can make erections painful and intercourse nearly impossible (depending on the amount of curvature). As you can imagine, this can take a toll on a man's ego and lead to emotional stress.

It is unknown what causes Peyronie's or why men who have undergone prostate surgery are more likely to develop this condition. Note that Dr. Mulhall feels strongly that erection injections (such as bimix/trimix) do not cause Peyronie's.

Treatment options vary. In December 2013, the FDA announced approval of Xiaflex injections to treat Peyronie's in men with curvature of 30 degrees or more. Dr. Levine and Dr. Mulhall also use traction/stretching therapy to correct curvature and shrinkage, based on Dr. Levine's published research. (Other research on traction therapy here.) Other treatment options are also available to address the curvature/shrinkage, but there is no known cure at this time.

Most Urologists have little experience (or none at all) diagnosing and treating Peyronie's. It is very important that anyone experiencing penile curvature after prostate surgery get treatment from a doctor who knows how to diagnose and treat this condition. The two of the best Peyronie's doctors in the world are Dr. John Mulhall in New York City and Dr. Laurence Levine in Chicago. If you can't see one of them, then you should should see a doctor recommended by the Peyronie's Association. (Dr. Mulhall and Dr. Levine are on the board of the Peyronie's Association and are involved in the creation of that list.)

For more information:

• Visit the Peyronie's Association website for lots of useful information, and a forum.
  
• Read Dr. Levine's book Understanding Peyronie's Disease. It is the only book written for patients to understand the disease and treatment options.
  
• Read Dr. Mulhall's book Saving Your Sex Life A Guide for Men with Prostate Cancer. Peyronie's disease is covered in Chapter 8, Section IV.

-Gedman

Patience-

The main takeaway is that PCa patients should be aware of Peyronie's and seek expert treatment if they experience erection curvature. A separate point is that Dr. Mulhall believes that injections don't cause Peyronie's.

Regarding your question of bimix vs. trimix, there are lots of existing threads on HW that cover that topic that should be reasonably easy to find via the Search function.

-Gedman

Thanks, Jim. Your post on the New Patients sticky lost all the hyperlinks, which are important. I'm going to email you the full mCode version for you to use instead.

-Gedman