Multicenter Prospective Study of Grafting With Collagen Fleece TachoSil in Patients With Peyronie's Disease

Long-term histological and hemodynamic findings of repairing penile tunica albuginea defects with collagen fleece in dogs

Clinically, collagen fleece patching of the penile tunica albuginea (TA) has been successful. However, the histopathological and hemodynamic outcomes are not known. We studied in vivo TachoSil® patching in two beagle dogs weighing 16.8 (16.7-16.9) Kg. Bilateral intracavernous pressures (ICP) response to 10 mg papaverine hydrochloride were measured. A full-thickness defect was created on the left side in TA 1 × 0.5 cm, and four transverse incisions 1 cm long were made on the right side, placed 0.5 cm apart, and covered with TachoSil®. Six months later, ICP measurements were repeated, and the penis was excised for histopathology. Grossly, the graft site was indistinguishable. The mean baseline ICP was 19.3 ± 2.98 mmHg and increased after papaverine injection to a mean peak ICP of 122 ± 26.1 mmHg. The ICP measurement before and after grafting did not show a significant difference in the baseline (p = 0.068) or the peak pressure (p = 0.465). Histologically, minimal foreign body reaction was seen, and the TA was completely regenerated. The underlying cavernous tissue did not show inflammation or necrosis. The study is the first to show the long-term histopathologic regeneration of TA after collagen fleece patching while maintaining the hemodynamic response to papaverine.

Grafts in Peyronie's surgery without the use of prostheses: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Peyronie's disease (PD) is characterized by abnormal penile curvature, and various surgical methods have been developed using different graft materials. However, there is currently no universal agreement on which type of graft is the best. The objective of this review was to evaluate the available literature and identify the most effective graft material for penile curvature correction in PD. A literature search was conducted using electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. The patients, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) approach was used to define the eligibility of studies. Two authors independently selected studies, evaluated them, and extracted data. Random-effect models using the DerSimonian-Laird method were used. Most studies were single-arm studies and had a high risk of bias. Buccal mucosa grafts (BMG) were found to result in the highest penile straightening rates and were associated with the least de novo erectile dysfunction. TachoSil grafts demonstrated a high success rate in straightening despite a higher mean preoperative curvature, while Tutoplast grafts had a higher incidence of postoperative erectile dysfunction. BMG had the highest percentage of postoperative penile straightening. Overall, the TachoSil graft showed the best performance when preoperative curvature is taken into account. Based on the available literature, BMG appear to be the most effective for penile curvature correction in PD, but this is offset by the requirement for low preoperative curvature. The TachoSil graft shows the best overall performance when preoperative curvature is considered. Comparative randomized clinical trials are still needed to determine graft superiority.

Long-term outcomes of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for acute Peyronie's disease: a 10-year retrospective analysis

The aim of this paper was to describe the long-term outcomes of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in patients with acute Peyronie'disease (PD). An observational retrospective study was conducted in men with acute PD who underwent ESWT between 2009-2013 at a single institution. ESWT protocol consisted of 1 session (3000 shock waves, 0.10-0.25 mJ/mm^2, 4-6 Hz) per week for 4 weeks. Penile pain was chosen as the primary outcome. Penile curvature angle, erectile function, and satisfaction with ESWT were selected as secondary long-term outcomes. A total of 194 patients were included. The mean follow-up duration after ESWT was 125.6 months. Mean penile curvature worsened significantly at 3 months (18.3 vs. 21.5 degrees; p = 0.023) and 12 months (21.5 vs. 28.6 degrees; p = 0.001) and stabilized over the long-term (28.6 vs. 28.8 degrees; p = 0.335). Mean penile pain improved significantly at 3 months (6.5 vs. 3.1 points; p < 0.001) and 12 months (3.1 vs. 1.0 points; p = 0.001), remaining stable over time (1.0 vs. 1.0 points; p = 0.074). The mean five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) increased significantly at 3 months (14.5 vs. 17.9 points; p = 0.001), remaining stable at 12 months (17.9 vs. 18.5 points; p = 0.082), and deteriorating in the long-term (18.5 vs. 15.8 points; p = 0.003). A high satisfaction rate with ESWT was recorded at 3 months (92.3%), remaining similar at 12 months (91.2%) and over the long-term (90.2%). No new acute phase and low rate of PD surgery (4.1%) were recorded in the long-term analysis. In patients with acute PD, ESWT seems to be associated with early and persistent relief of penile pain, transient improvement in erectile function, no significant effect on penile curvature, and a high rate of patient satisfaction constant over time.

The Use of Vacuum Devices as Adjuvant Therapy before and after Penile Curvature Surgery in Patients Affected by La Peyronie's Disease: Results from a Comparative Study

BACKGROUND

Peyronie's disease (PD) represents a challenging urological disease, due to not optimal post-operative surgical outcomes. We aim to retrospectively evaluate if vacuum erection device (VED) treatment before penile curvature surgery is able to improve post-operative surgical outcomes.

METHODS

All enrolled patients were assigned to the following groups: (a) the treatment group: VED treatment (three times per week) starting 3 months before surgery and (three times per week) one month after surgery; and (b) the control group: VED treatment (three times per week) one month after surgery. Follow-up urologic visits were scheduled for 3 and 6 months after surgery, and the two groups were compared.

RESULTS

A total of 38 patients were enrolled (median age 67 years, 57-74, IQR): 20 in the treatment group and 18 in the control group. At the follow-up visits, the two groups were different in terms of IIEF-5 (26 vs. 24; p = 0.02), "yes" to SEP2 and 3 (85% vs. 55%; p < 0.001, 85% vs. 50%; p < 0.001, respectively), and PDQ (-16 vs. -11; p = 0.03). Complete correction of penile curvature was achieved in 36 patients (94.7%). In the treatment group, no hourglass deformity was reported, whereas one patient reported a mild hourglass deformity in the control group. In the treatment group, we obtained a longer total penile length (median +1.5 cm). The overall satisfaction rate was 98% in the treatment group and 96% in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The VED treatment before penile curvature surgery in patients affected by PD was able to improve surgical outcomes.

Molecular Mechanisms and Risk Factors Related to the Pathogenesis of Peyronie's Disease

Peyronie's disease (PD) is a benign condition caused by plaque formation on the tunica albuginea of the penis. It is associated with penile pain, curvature, and shortening, and contributes to erectile dysfunction, which worsens patient quality of life. In recent years, research into understanding of the detailed mechanisms and risk factors involved in the development of PD has been increasing. In this review, the pathological mechanisms and several closely related signaling pathways, including TGF-β, WNT/β-catenin, Hedgehog, YAP/TAZ, MAPK, ROCK, and PI3K/AKT, are described. Findings regarding cross-talk among these pathways are then discussed to elucidate the complicated cascade behind tunica albuginea fibrosis. Finally, various risk factors including the genes involved in the development of PD are presented and their association with the disease summarized. The purpose of this review is to provide a better understanding regarding the involvement of risk factors in the molecular mechanisms associated with PD pathogenesis, as well as to provide insight into disease prevention and novel therapeutic interventions.

Voice Assistants as Consultants for Male Patients with Sexual Dysfunction: A Reliable Option?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri to recognize and answer questions about male sexual health. Each VA was tested on a smart speaker: Alexa on Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen., Google Assistant on Google Home Mini, and Siri on Apple HomePod. A pool of patients' frequently asked questions regarding erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation (PE), Peyronie's disease (PD), male infertility, and other aspects of male sexual health were identified by authors. The recognition of question was evaluated ("yes" or "not"). For each recognized question, the response characteristics (domains) were rated on a scale from 0 to 10 (according to the quality). We chose the recognition rate of the questions as the primary outcome and the quality of the answers as the secondary outcome. Overall, the best VA in recognizing questions was Siri, with a total of 83.3% questions compared with 64.0% for Alexa (p = 0.024) and 74.0% for Google Assistant (p = 0.061). Siri was associated with a significantly higher recognition rate than Alexa for PE (80% vs. 40%; p = 0.002) and PD (66.7% vs. 33.3%; p = 0.010). The quality of the responses was classified as low in 57 out of 105 cases (54.3%), intermediate in 46 cases (43.8%), and high in only 2 cases (1.9%), highlighting an overall intermediate-low quality of the answers. Male infertility was the condition associated with the highest mean scores in "Targeted response to the problem" (7.32 ± 2.57), "Scientific correctness of the answer", (5.9 ± 2.76) "Completeness of the answer" (5.14 ± 2.56), and "Understandability of the response for a patient" (5.3 ± 2.51) domains. Siri was associated with significantly higher scores than Alexa (p < 0.05) in several domains of all conditions evaluated. The question recognition rate of VAs is quite high; however, the quality of the answers is still intermediate-low. Siri seems superior to Alexa in both question recognition and response quality. Male infertility appears to be the sexual dysfunction best addressed by VAs.

Impact of extracorporeal shockwave therapy for erectile dysfunction and Peyronie's disease on reproductive and hormonal testicular function

INTRODUCTION

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is an established treatment for erectile dysfunction and Peyronie's disease. Concerns regarding the safety of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for andrological purposes on testicular function were raised by animal studies.

AIM

To evaluate the impact of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for erectile dysfunction or Peyronie's disease on reproductive and hormonal testicular function.

METHODS

We designed a prospective controlled study in which consecutive patients were enrolled. Males aged between 18 and 40 years with mild vasculogenic erectile dysfunction or acute inflammatory Peyronie's disease and normozoospermia were included. All enrolled patients were offered extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and subjects who refused extracorporeal shock wave therapy for any reason were considered as the Control group. All patients in the Intervention group were treated with DUOLITH SD1 T-TOP by a single expert urologist. Semen analysis and serum total testosterone dosage were performed before the start (T0) and 3 months after the end of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (T1) in Intervention group. The same parameters were evaluated after the extracorporeal shock wave therapy refusal (T0) and at the end of the following 3 months (T1) in Control group. Normozoospermia was chosen as the primary outcome, serum total testosterone concentration was selected as the secondary outcome.

RESULTS

A total of 94 patients were enrolled in the study (48 Group A, 46 Group B). At T0, all patients were normozoospermic in both groups (p = 0.563), and no significant difference in mean ± SD total testosterone levels was recorded between the groups (582.5 ± 107.2 vs. 634.6 ± 108.4 ng/dl; p = 0.221). At T1, no significant deterioration (p > 0.05) in semen parameters was recorded in both groups. Only a statistically significant reduction in seminal pH was found after extracorporeal shock wave therapy compared to baseline (7.9 ± 0.3 vs. 7.5 ± 0.2; p < 0.001) and untreated patients (7.8 ± 0.2 vs. 7.5 ± 0.2; p < 0.001). No significant difference in total testosterone levels was recorded in Intervention group after extracorporeal shock wave therapy compared to baseline (p = 0.584).

CONCLUSION

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy in erectile dysfunction and Peyronie's disease patients does not seem to affect reproductive and hormonal testicular function.