Peyronie's disease is an abnormal curvature of the penis caused by scar tissue. This scar tissue can also cause pain, penile narrowing, and length loss. This disease affects an unknown amount of men in the U.S. But, doctors estimate that this disease affects millions of men. Most patients are in their 50s or 60s, but Peyronie’s disease can happen at other ages as well.
Peyronie's disease can result in worse erectile function, and curvature may prevent penetration during intercourse. Peyronie's disease is treatable, and many options are available to help manage the disease.
Treatment of Peyronie's disease
We have extensive experience with treating Peyronie's disease. There is no reliable or effective oral treatment for Peyronie's disease.
Treatment begins when you have entered the stable phase of the disease. At that point, the pain has stopped and the penile curvature is no longer changing.
We start with conservative therapy, most with penile injection medications. The medication most often used to treat Peyronie's disease is Xiaflex (collagenage clostridium histolyticum). Other injection treatment medications are available as well.
Penile traction therapy is also helpful. Surgical management remains an option if Xiaflex is not completely effective or if you wish to proceed to surgery.
Surgical management options depend on the quality of your erections:
- Plication surgery, or plaque incision(or excision) and grafting surgery
These surgeries are beneficial for treating men without erectile dysfunction. Plication surgery helps with curvature. Plaque incision (or excision) and grafting is surgery to remove the scar tissue in the penis and is performed in more extreme cases. - Inflatable penile prosthesis surgery
Penile prosthesis placement is the best surgical management for treating men with Peyronie's disease and significant erectile dysfunction as it solves both problems.
What can I expect at my consultation visit to discuss Peyronie's disease?
Do not be afraid to talk and speak your mind about Peyronie's disease at your visit. It is normal to feel frustrated, anxious, disappointed, and embarrassed by Peyronie's disease.
We have treated many patients for sexual dysfunction issues. We find that the more frank our conversation, the better the outcomes. We will ask you questions about your history and health, and we will examine you.
Then, we will discuss your options and review next steps. Please feel free to ask questions to make sure you understand your treatment options.
We recommend that you bring your sexual partner with you so that they can ask questions as well.
We'll work very hard to ease your worries by providing a friendly and informative visit.
Learn more
- If you suffer from Peyronie's disease or another sexual health issue, or think you may, make an appointment with Dr. Martin Gross today.
- Refer to the Sexual Medicine Society of North America website for more information and support.
- Read about Peyronie's disease in our Healthwise® Health Encyclopedia
Page reviewed on: Jan 30, 2020
Page reviewed by: Martin Gross, MD