Although around one in one hundred men over the age of 18 in the United States has been diagnosed with Peyronie’s disease, experts think that the number of men with the condition may be much higher, and could be as many as one in ten. Peyronie’s disease causes a painful bend in your penis that can make urinating or sex painful or difficult.
Dr. Paul Chung offers several treatments for Peyronie’s disease, and the one most likely to work well for you depends on numerous factors, such as the stage of your disease progression, the severity of curvature, and your overall health history. Many of Dr. Chung’s patients are hesitant to seek treatment, but as you can see from his many testimonials, most are glad after they do.
Your penis has a membrane called the albuginea, which helps keep your penis stiff when you have an erection. It’s a spongy tissue, and when you have Peyronie’s disease, scar tissue – called plaque – builds up in it. As the plaque thickens, it pulls on the tissue around it, and causes a curve or bend in your penis.
The plaque isn’t the same kind that you get on your teeth or that can build up in your arteries causing heart disease. Researchers think that it may be related to what they call micro-injuries to your penis, such as from playing sports or from an autoimmune disease.
Peyronie’s disease happens in two phases. During the first phase, the plaque is forming. It’s during this phase that it begins to hurt, even when you don’t have an erection, and erections are painful. You may have some inflammation and begin to notice the curve in your penis.
In the second phase, the chronic phase, the curve stops getting worse, you may have less pain, and you may experience erectile dysfunction (ED). The first phase is called the acute phase and usually doesn’t last longer than 18 months. The second phase lasts until you get treatment.
Penile plication is a surgical treatment to straighten your penis. It’s minimally invasive and is a quick procedure. In one study, the overall success rate for penile plication among 52 patients was 92% about two years after the procedure.
When you have penile plication, Dr. Chung sutures the side of your penis that doesn’t have the bend, pulling your penis straight.
Some of the benefits of penile plication include:
It’s also less likely than some other procedures to cause numbness or ED.
Dr. Chung may recommend combining penile plication with a penile implant, or he may recommend a different procedure for you. Peyronie’s disease can be appropriately treated in a number of different ways. Dr. Chung is an expert, and recommends treatment based on numerous factors, including your overall health, the extent of the bend in your penis, and the stage of your disease.
If you’d like to learn more about your options, schedule an appointment with Dr. Chung today.
