Peyronie's disease: What's around the bend?

Abstract

Introduction: Peyronie's disease (PD) is a fibrotic diathesis of the tunica albuginea that results in penile plaque formation and penile deformity, negatively affecting sexual and psychosocial function of both patients and their partners. In this review, we discuss the PD literature and PD treatment options, with special emphasis on potential future therapies.

Methods: The PD literature was reviewed, and articles of interest were identified using keyword search in PubMed. Articles evaluating investigational and novel PD treatments were emphasized.

Results: Existing PD treatment modalities are diverse and include oral, topical, intralesional, mechanical, and surgical therapies. Surgical treatment has high success rates and is indicated in men with significant, stable deformity. The United States Food and Drug Administration-approved intralesional collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection therapy is a minimally invasive option with demonstrated efficacy in PD. Other nonsurgical therapies have been reported, including Botox and stem cell therapy, but these currently have little or equivocal evidence to support their efficacy.

Conclusions: Further research is essential to develop novel, safe, and effective minimally invasive PD treatment options. This work is ongoing, with the promise of specific, targeted, and highly effective therapies on the horizon.

Keywords: Peyronie's disease; plaque incision and grafting; tunical plication.

Figure 1

Peyronie's disease treatment algorithm[23] (Figure adapted with permission from reference 23)