What is it about?
This article addresses the surgical management of a "penile fracture" (medically known as a tunical rupture), which is a tear in the tough outer lining of the erectile chamber. The Standard Approach: Conventionally, surgeons rush the patient to the OR just to sew up the tear and stop the bleeding. The Problem: The trauma of the fracture almost inevitably causes scarring that leads to significant penile curvature (like Peyronie's disease) months later, requiring a second surgery. The Proposed Solution: The article argues that just repairing the hole is insufficient. Surgeons must perform a curvature correction procedure (an "adjunct," usually a plication suture opposite the injury) at the exact same time as the emergency repair to prevent future deformity.
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Why is it important?
Proactive Medicine: It shifts treatment from reactive (waiting for a bent penis to develop later) to proactive (preventing the bend before it starts). One Surgery vs. Two: It spares the patient the physical and emotional trauma of needing a second reconstructive surgery months after the initial injury. Raising Standards: It challenges urologists to look beyond the immediate emergency and consider the long-term functional and cosmetic outcome for the patient.
Perspectives
The Surgeon's View (Dr. Hsu): Emergency surgery shouldn't mean sloppy surgery. We know the bend is coming; it is our duty to address it immediately while we are already operating, ensuring a complete restoration. The Patient's View: A sense of relief. Waking up from a frightening emergency surgery knowing that not only is the injury fixed, but steps were taken to ensure the penis will heal straight.
Professor Geng-Long Hsu
Microsurgical Potency Reconstruction and Research Center, Hsu’s Andrology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: CURVATURE CORRECTION IN PATIENTS WITH TUNICAL RUPTURE: A NECESSARY ADJUNCT TO REPAIR, The Journal of Urology, March 2002, Wolters Kluwer Health,
DOI: 10.1016/s0022-5347(05)65306-2.
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