An unanswered question in pediatric urology: the post pubertal persistence of prepubertal congenital penile curvature correction by tunical plication

The factors that cause penile shortening after plication surgery in patients with congenital penile curvature: [[es]]Los factores causantes del acortamiento de pene después de la cirugía con plicatura en pacientes con incurvación peneana congénita

OBJECTIVE

Congenital penile curvature is defined as the non-straightness of the penis without any urethral or penile pathology. We aimed to evaluate the factors that cause penile shortening after plication surgery in patients with congenital penile curvature.

METHODS

Between November 2010 and December 2020, we retrospectively reviewed patients with CPC undergoing tunica albuginea plication surgery. Before the procedure, patients' age, curvature location and degrees, as well as penile length were recorded. After the treatment, penile lengths were measured and recorded again. Early and late period results were recorded.

RESULTS

Plication surgery was performed in 130 patients. The median age was 24 years. Seventy-six patients had ventral curvature, 22 had dorsal curvature, 32 had lateral curvature. Average shortening of penile length in patients with curvature below 30° was: ventral 8-16 mm, dorsal 6-13 mm, lateral 5-12 mm. Patients with curvatures above 30° were: ventral 12-22 mm, dorsal 8-20 mm, lateral 2-12 mm.

CONCLUSION

Penile length shortening after plication is inevitable. Curvature degree and direction are factors affecting penile length after surgery. Therefore, patients and relatives should be informed in more detail about this complication.

[Congenital penile curvature: Guidelines from the Andrology and Sexual Medicine Committee of the French Association of Urology (CAMS-AFU)]

INTRODUCTION

Guidelines regarding congenital penile curvature (CPC) are lacking, and this pathology has not been the subject of French recommendations to date. The Andrology and Sexual Medicine Committee (CAMS) of the French Association of Urology (AFU) propose a series of clinical practice recommendations (CPR) by answering five clinical questions concerning the diagnosis and treatment of this pathology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After a bibliographic research between 2000 and 2021, followed by a critical reading according to the CRP method. These recommendations were written to answer five questions: (1) What are the different types of CPC? (2) What are the reasons for consultation? (3) What are the assessment methods for CPCs and their consequences? (4) What are the indications for CPCs treatment? (5) What are the corrective modalities for the treatment of CPC?

RESULTS

There are two main phenotypes: CPC type 4 (the most common) and chordee without hypospadias. The diagnosis of CPC is clinical and established through enquiry and clinical examination associated with photos of the erect penis. Support can be offered if the curvature is responsible for a disability and/or sexual dissatisfaction linked to a deformation making penetration difficult and/or in the event of significant psychological impact. Only surgical treatments have demonstrated their effectiveness. For type 4 CPCs, corporoplasty (excisional, incisional, or incisionless techniques) is the gold standard.

CONCLUSION

These recommendations provide support for the management of patients consulting with CPC.

Is there any advantage in the use of absorbable sutures in congenital penile curvature surgery performed in childhood?

OBJECTIVE

To compare the long-term outcomes of corporeal plication using absorbable versus nonabsorbable sutures for the treatment of congenital penile curvature in childhood.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty seven children who underwent congenital penile curvature repair between 11 and 140 months of age were included in the study. All children were operated on using the incisional plication technique and were divided into two groups: Absorbable-polyglactine (PLG, n=23, 48.93%) and nonabsorbable-polypropilen (PP, n=24, 51.06%) according to the suture material used for plication. Surgical outcomes were compared between groups.

RESULTS

Mean follow-up period was 19.02±4.66 months. There was no significant difference between the mean age of the children in two groups included in the study (PLG=41.39±34.63 months vs PP=53.66±37.42 months, p=0.250). There was no significant difference in penile straightening degree between the two groups in the postoperative follow-up (PLG=27.39±6.88 vs PP=31.08±6.38, p=0.06). Similarly, there was no significant difference between two groups in terms of postoperative curvature recurrence (p=0.681). However, palpable suture knots in the plication area was significantly higher in the PP group in the postoperative period (25.0% vs 4.3%, p=0.047).

CONCLUSION

The use of absorbable sutures in congenital penile curvature surgery in childhood has similar success rates with the use of nonabsorbable sutures and provides lower complications that are secondary to nonabsorbable sutures.

Comparison of corporal plication for the correction of congenital penile curvature in pre-pubertal and post-pubertal patients: Does age matter?

We retrospectively reviewed and compared the results of corporal plication procedures for the correction of congenital penile curvature (CPC) between pre-pubertal and post-pubertal boys and find whether age matters in the success rates. We reviewed the records of 32 patients with CPC without hypospadias treated by simple plication near the 12 o'clock position between 1998 and 2018 in our clinic. Patients under 13 years of age and not had puberty yet were accepted as pre-pubertal. Residual curvature less than 10° during follow-up was accepted as a surgical success. The mean age of the pre-pubertal group was 8.3 (2-12) years, while 16.2 (14-21) for the post-pubertal patients. The mean follow-up was 38.7 (24-154) months in the pre-pubertal group and 45.1 (23-150) months in the post-pubertal group. The success rates of corporal plication in pre-pubertal and post-pubertal groups were 78% and 83% respectively (p = .753). The success rates of corporal plication were similar between pre-pubertal and post-pubertal boys. However, as the series was small further studies should be favoured to determine the effect of age on success rates.

Giammusso corporoplasty for the treatment of isolated congenital ventral penile curvature: Results and long-term follow-up

The aim was to retrospectively evaluate our experience in a large series of patients affected by isolated congenital ventral penile curvature, surgically treated using a previously described modified incisional corporoplasty. Two hundred and six patients with isolated congenital ventral penile curvature underwent a modified incisional corporoplasty. Mean age at surgery was 20.7 ± 5.5 years, and degree of ventral curvature was 60 ± 23°. After the point of maximum convexity identification, Buck's fascia was vertically opened along the deep dorsal vein, which was partially ligated, resected and removed. Tunica albuginea was then longitudinally incised and transversally closed. Post-operative follow-up examination was performed at 2 weeks, 6, 12 and 24 months and then annually. Surgical time was 79 ± 12 min. At follow-up, 189 out of 198 patients (95%) were completely satisfied, four patients (2%) complained a recurrence of penile curvature, and 6 (3%) complained about shortening of the penis. None of the patients had any interference with sexual activity. One patient (0.5%) showed erectile dysfunction 5 years after surgery, but there was no organic dysfunction during examination. The proposed technique allows correction of ventral congenital penile curvature without dorsal neurovascular bundle manipulation, resulting in minimum trauma of the erectile tissue, without injury to nerve fibres.

2018 Canadian Urological Association guideline for Peyronie's disease and congenital penile curvature

Peyronie’s disease (PD) is a highly prevalent condition that affects the physical and psychosocial well-being and quality of life (QoL) for thousands of Canadian men. The specific etiology of PD remains poorly understood and there remains a paucity of randomized placebo-controlled trials evaluating treatment interventions.1-3 PD can be found in up to 8.9% of men, a remarkable increase in cited prevalence that is attributable to growing awareness (as historical data suggested a rate of less than 1%); the burden of disease is significant, and PD is often present in otherwise healthy men. The following guidelines were crafted by the committee with a full awareness of the limitations of the literature, and sought to provide actionable recommendations to guide PD care in the Canadian health system.