The Effect of Adjunct Mechanical Traction on Penile Length in Men Undergoing Primary Treatment for Peyronie's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Multimodal treatments based on Tadalafil during acute phase of Peyronie's disease: experience at two referral academic centers

AIM

The purpose of this study is to identify the clinical outcomes of patients during acute phase of Peyronie's disease (PD) treated with daily Tadalafil 5 mg associated with non-surgical treatments such as intra-plaque verapamil injections (IVI), vacuum erection devices (VED) or extra corporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT).

METHODS

445 patients with PD in acute stage were treated as it follows: Group 1(G1) 117 men with only Tadalafil 5 mg once a day for 3 months; Group 2(G2) 106 men with IVI plus Tadalafil 5 mg for a period of 12 weeks; Group 3(G3) 124 men that received ESWT for 6 weeks plus Tadalafil with the same protocol of G1; Group 4(G4) 98 men with VED plus Tadalafil 5 mg for 3 months. There were assessed at baseline and follow-up: Erectile dysfunction (ED), presence and severity of painful erections, penile plaque size and penile curvature degree. The results were evaluated at baseline and 3,6,12 months.

RESULTS

Not statistically significant differences emerged between the two groups at baseline, except for higher presence of patients with ED in in G3(7.4%) vs other groups(p < 0.001). Three months after the treatment in G3 men had a significant reduction of penile curvature degrees after 1 year by treatments, whereas pain in an erection or during intercourse was resolved completely in 75% of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study highlights that multimodal therapy has beneficial long-term effects not only in the decrease of ED symptoms, but also in the relief of the penile curvature and the quality of life.

Tissue anisotropy and collagenomics in porcine penile tunica albuginea: Implications for penile structure-function relationships and tissue engineering

The tunica albuginea (TA) of the penis is an elastic layer that serves a structural role in penile erection. Disorders affecting the TA cause pain, deformity, and erectile dysfunction. There is a substantial clinical need for engineered replacements of TA, but data are scarce on the material properties and biochemical composition of healthy TA. The objective of this study was to assess tissue organization, protein content, and mechanical properties of porcine TA to establish structure-function relationships and design criteria for tissue engineering efforts. TA was isolated from six pigs and subjected to histomorphometry, quantification of collagen content and pyridinoline crosslinks, bottom-up proteomics, and tensile mechanical testing. Collagen was 20 ± 2%/wet weight (WW) and 53 ± 4%/dry weight (DW). Pyridinoline content was 426 ±131 ng/mg WW, 1011 ± 190 ng/mg DW, and 45 ± 8 mmol/mol hydroxyproline. Bottom-up proteomics identified 14 proteins with an abundance of >0.1% of total protein. The most abundant collagen subtype was type I, representing 95.5 ± 1.5% of the total protein in the samples. Collagen types III, XII, and VI were quantified at 1.7 ± 1.0%, 0.8 ± 0.2%, and 0.4 ± 0.2%, respectively. Tensile testing revealed anisotropy: Young's modulus was significantly higher longitudinally than circumferentially (60 ± 18 MPa vs. 8 ± 5 MPa, p < 0.01), as was ultimate tensile strength (16 ± 4 MPa vs. 3 ± 3 MPa, p < 0.01). Taken together, the tissue mechanical and compositional data obtained in this study provide important benchmarks for the development of TA biomaterials. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The tunica albuginea of the penis serves an important structural role in physiologic penile erection. This tissue can become damaged by disease or trauma, leading to pain and deformity. Treatment options are limited. Little is known about the precise biochemical composition and biomechanical properties of healthy tunica albuginea. In this study, we characterize the tissue using proteomic analysis and tensile testing to establish design parameters for future tissue engineering efforts. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify tissue anisotropy and to use bottom-up proteomics to characterize the composition of penile tunica albuginea.

Peyronie's Disease: An Outcomes-Based Guide to Non-Surgical and Novel Treatment Modalities

The clinical landscape of Peyronie's disease is everchanging. There has been growing interest in non-invasive therapeutic options that could assist patients with achieving a meaningful reduction in penile curvature without surgical intervention. These therapies are wide-ranging in terms of their mechanisms of action, efficacies, and short- and long-term safety profiles. Recently, an abundance of outcomes literature on longstanding and novel non-surgical treatment modalities has been published. For sexual medicine providers hoping to offer patients the most up-to-date and evidence-based treatments for the management of Peyronie's disease, it can be challenging to gain a thorough understanding of this body of literature. In this clinical management review, the workup and current theories on the pathophysiology of Peyronie's disease are reviewed, and the most recent outcomes data on the currently available non-surgical treatment modalities are presented. With an accurate understanding of the current landscape of Peyronie's disease treatment, sexual health providers will be able to better evaluate and engage in evidence-based shared decision-making with their patients.

Assessment of Conservative Combination Therapies for Active and Stable Peyronie's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

CONTEXT

In patients with Peyronie's disease (PD), oral, injected, or topical agents provide limited efficacy. In this setting, combination of two or more conservative treatments may improve symptoms further.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effects of available conservative combination therapies for active and stable PD through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

We searched multiple databases and sources of gray literature until June 2021. We included randomized or observational comparative studies assessing any conservative combination therapies for PD. We undertook a random-effect meta-analysis when at least two studies employed the same treatment modality (PROSPERO: CRD42021224517).

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Overall, 13 studies on active PD and ten on stable PD (1962 participants) were included. Most included studies raised methodological concerns. In patients with active or stable PD, the available evidence is inconclusive to support the use of any combination treatment modality, such as intralesional verapamil injections, antioxidants, and other oral, injected, or topical agents. Based on data availability, we performed a meta-analysis to compare the effect of collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) plus adjunctive mechanical therapies (penile traction or vacuum pump) versus CCH monotherapy on penile curvature and length in patients with stable PD. CCH and adjunctive mechanical therapies resulted in an additional decrease of 0.3° in penile curvature (95% confidence interval [CI]: -3.97 to 4.49, I² = 0%) and in an increase of 0.5 cm in penile length (95% CI: -0.32 to 1.4, I² = 70%) compared with CCH monotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The available combination treatment modalities, including the addition of adjunctive mechanical therapies to CCH, do not improve symptoms further compared with monotherapy and should not be implemented in patients with active or stable PD. Further high-quality randomized trials combining only recommended treatments are mandatory.

PATIENT SUMMARY

Despite the interest in and optimism for combination treatment modalities, the road to an effective conservative therapy for Peyronie's disease still seems long.

Clinical Significance of Shortened Penile Length and Alterations in Penile Length Following Treatment for Peyronie's Disease

INTRODUCTION

Across many cultures, penis size has been associated with virility, and concerns about penile length are commonplace. Peyronie's disease (PD) is a known acquired cause of penile shortening.

OBJECTIVES

This paper describes the psychosocial impacts of penile length on men and their partners, both generally and in men with PD, and evaluates the effect of PD treatments (eg, collagenase clostridium histolyticum , surgery, mechanical therapy) on this outcome measure.

METHODS

A PubMed database search was performed for English language articles through July 2021. Main outcome measures were association of penile length with emotional well-being, selfesteem, and relationship satisfaction in men with PD, and change from baseline penile length after treatment.

RESULTS

Shortened penile length caused by PD can negatively impact patient and partner quality of life, including effects on body image, emotional well-being, sexual function, and interpersonal relationships. In men with PD, studies have demonstrated an association between loss of penile length and emotional problems, reduced satisfaction with sexual performance, poor self-esteem, depression, and relationship difficulties. Loss of penile length can frequently occur after surgery for PD (including plication, plaque incision/excision with grafting, and penile implant). Advanced surgical techniques may preserve/increase penile length, but the increased risks associated with these complex procedures must be carefully considered. Treatment with collagenase clostridium histolyticum does not appear to negatively impact penile length, and 5-year follow-up data suggest potential longterm posttreatment improvements in this outcome measure. Penile traction therapy, either alone or as adjunctive therapy, may increase penile length in men with PD, but nonadherence may limit improvement.

CONCLUSION

Changes in penile length are important to many men, particularly those with PD, and should be considered during PD treatment selection. Penile length should be measured objectively before and after treatment for PD and should be included as an outcome measure in future studies on treatment effectiveness. Goldstein I, Gelbard MK, Lipshultz LI. Clinical Significance of Shortened Penile Length and Alterations in Penile Length Following Treatment for Peyronie's Disease. Sex Med Rev 2022;10:409-420.

Saphenous Vein Graft for Treatment of Peyronie’s Disease, a Comparison between Single and Multiple Graft Reconstruction

Background:

Surgical reconstruction is the gold standard of treatment for Peyronie’s disease (PD). Grafting procedures provide satisfactory outcomes in patients with complex curvature, short penile length, and without previous erectile dysfunction (ED). We aimed to compare two different grafting methods of reconstruction in patients with PD.

Method:

Fifty-two PD patients at Imam-Reza hospital of Mashhad from October 2011 to January 2019 with stable plaque, penile angulation of >60˚, complex curvature, and without ED who consented to cooperate, included in our study and divided into two groups. The first group consists of 26 patients, undergone grafting through a double-Y incision and a single saphenous graft placed within the incision. For the second group, two smaller saphenous vein grafts were placed in the two parallel incisions. ED assessed pre- and post-operational via the International index of erectile function. Penile angulation less than 20 degrees was considered a favorable outcome. Patients followed for 18 months, and sacculation, penile shortening, post-operation infection, and penile hypoesthesia were assessed as complications. We used a paired t-test to compare these two groups.

Results:

ED was 25% and 12% in the first and the second group, respectively. Statistics showed no difference between the two groups regarding pre and post-operational ED (P=0.1). Regarding complications during follow-up, sacculation occurred in four patients of the first group and none of the second group patients but no significant difference (P=0.23).

Conclusion:

We found no superiority to declare between these two procedures, although regarding the small sample size of our study, further evaluations are needed to establish more reliable results.

A Critical Analysis of Reporting in Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in the Peyronie's Disease Literature

BACKGROUND

Despite an increasing number of publications on Peyronie's disease (PD), evidence-based clinical decision-making remains challenging due to the small number of well-designed clinical trials.

AIM

To perform a critical analysis of reporting quality in PD systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analyses (MA).

METHODS

Study protocol registration was performed on the Open Science Framework platform. In January 2021, a systematic electronic search of the Medline/PubMed, Embase, Ovid, Scopus, Joanne Briggs Institute, and Cochrane databases was performed. Search terms included "Peyronie's disease" and "systematic review OR meta-analysis OR meta-analysis." Eligibility criteria were English-language, relevance to PD and specification of "systematic review" or "meta-analysis" in the title or abstract. Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine levels of evidence were used to classify original studies reviewed within each publication. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBIS tool. Data were tabulated and reported as means with standard deviation, median with interquartile range and t-testing as appropriate. Strength of association between variables was calculated using Pearson correlation coefficient. Statistical analyses were performed on RStudio (version 1.4.1106).

OUTCOMES

Outcomes included review type, level of evidence, authorship, journal, publication date, "A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews" (AMSTAR-2) score and "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses" (PRISMA) score.

RESULTS

From 1974 to 2021, 340 articles were identified. After review, 17 full length articles were included. Thirteen were SR, 2 MA and 2 was combined. Significant heterogeneity was seen in evidence level of included studies. There was median 54% adherence to AMSTAR-2 criteria and 74% adherence to PRISMA criteria. Overall AMSTAR-2 confidence rating was Critically Low in 11 of 17 studies. Correlation analysis revealed very high positive association between AMSTAR 2 and PRISMA adherence (+0.95). ROBIS revealed "High" concern regarding methods used to collect data and appraise 12/17 studies (71%), and "High" concern regarding synthesis and findings in 8 of 17 studies (47%).

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Many SR include markedly heterogenous levels of evidence and fail to meet accepted methodological criteria for reporting.

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS

Main strengths include extensive literature review and analysis of standardized study reporting. One limitation is that aggregate scoring of AMSTAR-2 and PRISMA is not intended as primary method of quality assessment; however effect was minimized by reporting critical domains, overall quality assessments and specifics on globally poorly reported domains.

CONCLUSION

More high quality randomized controlled PD trials are necessary; SR and MA should focus on these studies alone. Bole R, Gottlich HC, Ziegelmann MJ, et al. A Critical Analysis of Reporting in Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in the Peyronie's Disease Literature. J Sex Med 2022;19:629-640.

Conservative Therapy for Peyronie's Disease: a Contemporary Review of the Literature

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To analyze the literature on current conservative treatment options for Peyronie's disease (PD).

RECENT FINDINGS

Conservative therapy with intralesional collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) is safe and efficacious in either the acute or chronic phases of PD. Combination treatment with penile traction therapy (PTT) can produce even better results. While most PTT devices require extended periods of therapy up to 8 h per day, the RestoreX® device can be effective at 30-90 min per day. A variety of conservative therapies are available for treatment of PD. The available literature does not reveal any treatment benefit of oral therapies. Intralesional therapy is the mainstay conservative treatment of PD. Intralesional CCH therapy is the first Food and Drug Administration-approved intralesional therapy and represents the authors' preference for medical therapy. The most effective conservative management of PD likely requires a combination of therapies.

Modern treatment strategies for penile prosthetics in Peyronie's disease: a contemporary clinical review

Peyronie's disease is a common condition resulting in penile deformity, psychological bother, and sexual dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction is one common comorbid condition seen in men with Peyronie's disease, and its presence significantly impacts treatment considerations. In a man with Peyronie's disease and significant erectile dysfunction who desires the most reliable treatment, penile prosthesis placement should be strongly considered. In some instances, such as those patients with relatively mild curvature, prosthesis placement alone may result in adequate straightening. However, many patients will require additional straightening maneuvers such as manual modeling, penile plication, and tunica albuginea incision with or without grafting. For patients with severe penile shortening, penile length restoration techniques may also be considered. Herein, we provide a comprehensive clinical review of penile prosthesis placement in men with Peyronie's disease. Specifically, we discuss preoperative indications, intraoperative considerations, adjunctive straightening maneuvers, and postoperative outcomes.

Medical, non-invasive, and minimally invasive treatment for Peyronie's disease: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

The treatment of Peyronie's disease (PD) remains a dilemma as the true pathogenesis of PD remains an enigma. Consequently, new molecules and therapies continue to evolve. The safety and efficacy of conservative treatment for PD have not yet established.

OBJECTIVES

To provide the available information of the status of conservative therapy for PD.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for English-language journal articles between January 2000 and July 2019, using the terms "Conservative treatment for PD", "medical treatment for PD", "non-invasive therapies for PD" and "minimally invasive therapies for PD". This systematic review was conducted in agreement with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) system. We also manually reviewed references from selected articles. The risk of bias in the included RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment tool (RoB 2).

RESULTS

Conservative treatment is accepted as the initial treatment step in most of the cases. This kind of therapy includes various methods of treatment such as medical, non-invasive, and minimally invasive therapies. Ideal management of PD is not yet available. It is not possible to assess the value of treatment without well-designed, randomized, placebo-controlled, large-scale clinical studies.

CONCLUSION

Optimistically, in the near future, we may witness emergence of efficacious new agents and modalities to revolutionize medical, non-invasive, and minimally invasive treatment of this devastating condition.

Review of Intralesional Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum Injection Therapy and Related Combination Therapies in the Treatment of Peyronie's Disease (an Update)

INTRODUCTION

Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) is an injectable agent used to treat Peyronie's disease (PD) by enzymatically degrading the interstitial collagen in plaques. CCH has been administered via multiple treatment protocols, in combination therapies, to patients with varying curvatures and in both the acute and stable phases of this condition.

OBJECTIVES

To review the current literature and provide an update on CCH as an injectable therapy for PD, as a singular therapy or in conjunction with combination therapies, and its associated complications. We provide a brief background of PD treatments, evaluate CCH efficacy in penile curvature reduction and subjective improvement in a variety of protocols, and compare combination therapies (penile traction, sildenafil), plaque location, and efficacy in both acute and stable diseases.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review of the existing PubMed literature pertaining to CCH injection therapy in the treatment of PD and compared the effectiveness to different treatment modalities.

RESULTS

CCH is a safe and effective injectable agent for all curvature directions in both acute and stable PD. It can be used in conjunction with multiple penile modeling techniques, in combination with sildenafil, and following a shortened administration protocol. Moderate to severe treatment-related adverse events occur at a rate of 9% and are typically managed conservatively.

CONCLUSION

Intralesional injections of CCH are FDA approved as a nonsurgical treatment for men with PD. The IMPRESS trials were instrumental in demonstrating the efficacy and safety of CCH and provided a standard protocol for administration. Additional studies are required to optimize treatment protocols and use in combination therapies. Further investigation of patients with ventral curvatures, hourglass deformities, and those in acute phase is needed. Natale C, McLellan D, Yousif A, et al. Review of Intralesional Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum Injection Therapy and Related Combination Therapies in the Treatment of Peyronie's Disease (an Update). Sex Med 2021;9:340-349.

A modern review of penile traction monotherapy and combination therapy for the treatment of peyronie's disease

Peyronie's disease (PD)-related penile deformity is managed with multiple treatment modalities including oral medications, intralesional injections, and surgery. Penile traction therapy (PTT) is one such modality with purported benefits, albeit with notable differences in the characteristics of available traction devices and published study protocols. We provide a comprehensive review of the available data supporting PTT for PD treatment. We performed a rigorous database search to identify all studies pertaining to PTT for the treatment of PD through November 2019. Seventeen trials explored use of PTT as monotherapy or in combination with surgical or nonsurgical treatment, using over five different commercially available devices. All devices were well tolerated, although compliance and daily duration of use were highly variable. PTT resulted in variable improvements in stretched penile length and penile curvature, depending on study protocol, patient population, and device. PTT appears to be a safe and well-tolerated treatment for PD as monotherapy or in combination with other nonsurgical and surgical treatments, and for men in both the acute and chronic phases. Further studies are needed to compare available devices, evaluate device characteristics associated with treatment success, differentiate outcomes in acute vs. chronic PD populations, and determine the optimal duration of use.

Long-term patient-reported outcomes in men with Peyronie's disease undergoing nonsurgical and nonintralesional injection management

Peyronie's disease (PD) has a negative impact on overall quality of life for many patients and their partners. There is a significant portion of patients who elect noninvasive therapy and in this scenario we have little data with which to counsel patients. We aim to evaluate long-term patient-reported outcomes in a cohort of men with PD who elected conservative treatment. We identified all males with a diagnosis of PD evaluated at our institution by a single provider between May 2012 and January 2018. We excluded men who were <18 years old or had undergone surgical or intralesional injection (ILI) treatments. A PD-specific questionnaire was sent to those who met our inclusion criteria. 88/514 patients completed the survey and met the inclusion criteria. Penile curvature subjectively improved in 49%, remained stable in 34%, and worsened in 17%. Penile shortening was reported in 89% of patients. Penile shortening subjectively improved in 27%, remained stable in 59%, and worsened in 14%. Roughly 60% reported worsened intercourse satisfaction and erectile function. 60% reported that PD had negatively impacted their self-esteem and 69% felt that PD negatively impacted their sexual partner. Patients who utilized penile traction therapy (PTT) were significantly more likely to report improvements in penile curvature, shortening, and ability to engage in penetrative intercourse. Our survey provides important data on patient-reported outcomes in men with PD electing nonsurgical and non-ILI interventions. Although 49% of men noted at least a mild subjective improvement in their curvature over time, a majority had declining erectile function, decreased intercourse satisfaction, and psychosocial distress. These data can be used when counseling patients with a new diagnosis of PD who are considering treatment options.

The prevalence of Peyronie's disease in diabetic patients -2018- Yazd

INTRODUCTION

Peyronie's disease (PD) is the fibrous scar tissue inside the penis that causes curved and painful erections. PD is associated with, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and low testosterone. PD causes erectile dysfunction (ED). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PD in type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients in Yazd.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 317 patients with T2DM referred to the Diabetes Research Center of Yazd. Inclusion Criteria were: T2DM, ages 30-65 years old, having a medical record at the Yazd diabetes research center, willingness to participate in research. Exclusin criteria contain: history of smoking and using anti-depressive drugs. Data was analyzed using with SPSS-16 and Stata software. Descriptive tables and charts were used and statistical tests such as independent sample T-test and Fisher's exact test were used.

RESULTS

A total number of 317 male patients were enrolled. The prevalence of diabetes microvascular complications were as following; neuropathy 36.30% (30.97-41.38), retinopathy 24.30% (19.67-29.39), nephropathy 20.50% (16.19-25.37), and PD 3.80% (1.97-6.51).

CONCLUSION

There was no difference in the prevalence of PD in our study with the global studies. But there is a higher prevalence of PD in diabetic patients than the general population.

The use of penile traction therapy in the management of Peyronie's disease: current evidence and future prospects

Peyronie's disease is a disorder of abnormal and dysregulated wound healing leading to scar formation in the tunica albuginea of the penis. Penile traction therapy has emerged as an attractive therapeutic option for men with Peyronie's disease in both the acute and chronic phases. Currently, clinical studies are limited by lack of randomization, small cohorts, and lack of patient compliance with therapy. Despite these shortcomings, studies have shown a potential benefit with minimal morbidity. Specifically, penile traction may help to preserve or increase penile length and reduce penile curvature when used as monotherapy or as adjuvant therapy for surgical and intralesional treatments. Further study is necessary to define patient characteristics that are predictive of improved outcomes, determine the duration of treatment needed for clinical effect, and improve patient compliance.