Peyronie’s Disease Treatment in Tucson, AZ

Dr. Peter Burrows is a board-certified and fellowship-trained urologist dedicated to providing the highest quality care to patients throughout the Tucson area. He has more than 20 years of experience diagnosing and treating patients for Peyronie’s disease. He will take the time to fully evaluate your symptoms in order to determine the treatment option that is best for you. If you’re struggling with painful penile curvature, call (520) 731-0600 to schedule an appointment at our urology office in Tucson, AZ today!

What Should You Know About Peyronie’s Disease?

Peyronie’s disease is the presence of scar tissue in the penis. The French surgeon Francois Peyronie first described it 250 years ago. The scar tissue, or Peyronie’s Plaque, forms in the wall of the tissue that surrounds the corpus cavernosum. That is, a plaque forms in the “canvas”(tunica albuginea) that wraps the penis. These plaques can cause pain with erection and curvature of the penis.

How Does a Peyronie’s Plaque Form?

Peyronie’s affects millions of men usually beginning in their 50’s. The plaque forms from a lifetime of small injuries or tears. These injuries heal by forming exaggerated plaques, which result in Peyronie’s disease. Men who form abnormal scar tissue elsewhere in the body are more susceptible to develop a Peyronie’s plaque.

Does Peyronie’s Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

Yes. Peyronie’s disease will cause curvature but also prevent blood flow beyond the plaque resulting in erectile dysfunction. Correcting the plaque will improve potency. Often you will be prescribed VIAGRA® or Trimix to treat the erectile dysfunction.

What Will Happen if I Don’t Treat My Peyronie’s Disease?

Spontaneous improvement is rare. However, after one year, 2/3 of men do not get any worse and remain stable, while 1/3 of men have worsening of their Peyronie’s disease.

What Are the Options For Treating Peyronie’s Disease?

Oral medication therapy is only effective in the early, or the acute phase, of Peyronie’s. Thus, within the first year of developing a plaque, PABA, vitamin E, and colchicine are effective first-line treatments. However, after one year with a plaque, oral medications are rarely helpful. The next line of therapy is intralesional injections with verapamil. The penis is anesthetized initially and then the medication is injected into several sites within the Peyronie’s Plaque. Following a series of 6 injections spaced at least every other week, 2/3 of men have improvement in their curvature, and 80% have improved erections.

If injections fail, surgical removal of the plaque and reconstruction can be performed. Surgery is very successful at correcting the curvature, but rarely improves the erectile dysfunction. Your urologist will discuss with you the need to possible place a penile prosthesis during the plaque removal or attempt alternative treatments for erectile dysfunction.

An alternative option for treating Peyronie’s disease is GAINSWave® Shockwave Therapy. GAINSWave is a non-surgical and injection-free procedure that has proven effective in treating Peyronie’s disease. The shockwaves break up the scar tissue and create new blood vessels allowing blood flow to increase and curvature to diminish.