Abnormal penile erection examination and treatment procedures

  1, non-surgical treatment (1) low blood flow type abnormal penile erection: the purpose of treatment is to increase venous blood return, so that the penile swelling subsides, to prevent damage caused by persistent ischemia of the cavernous body, and to relieve pain. Before surgical treatment, all should be tried with medication. It should be noted that drug therapy prolongs the treatment time and also increases the chance of cavernous fibrosis and the occurrence of phimosis. Kulmala and Tamella (1995) observed that most cases treated with aspiration and alpha-adrenergic hormonal agents within 36 hours were free of cavernous fibrosis, but beyond 36 hours, alpha-adrenergic drugs were ineffective and cavernous fibrosis occurred. If more than 36 hours have elapsed, the alpha-adrenergic agents are ineffective and fibrosis of varying degrees develops in the corpus cavernosum.  It has been reported that the dilution of α-adrenergic agonist was injected into the cavernous body of penis, and epinephrine 1mg was added to 1000ml of saline. 21-gauge needle was used to aspirate the accumulated blood in the cavernous body, then 20ml of dilution was injected into the cavernous body, and the accumulated blood was aspirated again after 2 minutes. Phenylephrine 10mg with 500ml of saline is also used, and 10-15ml is injected each time. if treatment is carried out within 12 hours of onset, satisfactory results can be achieved.  Recurrent abnormal stem erections often occur in patients with sickle cell anemia or those with a previous history of abnormal penile erections. Younger patients can be treated with dilute phenylephrine solution. In patients without sexual function, anti-androgens or gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists are used, which act to suppress nocturnal erections and prevent recurrence.  Complications of drug therapy include acute hypertension, headache, palpitations and arrhythmias triggered by alpha-adrenergic drug therapy, infection, bleeding and urinary fatigue injury caused by aspiration.  (2) High blood flow type stem abnormal erection: early local ice pack cold compresses cause vasoconstriction and the destroyed vessels may spontaneously form thrombus. Most cavernous artery ruptures do not heal on their own and often require intrapubic arteriography and embolization. Intra-arterial injection of methylene blue vein lumen injection of autologous blood clot embolization therapy has been reported, and success has been reported in recent years.  The prognosis of high-flow type is better, and the incidence of positive fistula is 20%.  2.Surgical treatment There are fewer and fewer cases suitable for surgical indications.  Non-operative treatment is usually indicated for non-ischemic abnormal penile erection. In early ischemic cases, the penis can be transformed into non-ischemic after adequate flushing.  In ischemic abnormal penile erection, if the cavernous body fails to be treated by aspiration and irrigation, a direct incision from the head of the penis to both sides of the cavernous body can be made, or a biopsy needle can be used to extract tissue from both sides of the cavernous body through the head of the penis to form a shunt between the head of the penis and the cavernous body of the penis. The orifice should be avoided at the same level to prevent the occurrence of urethral stricture.  In some cases of abnormal penile erection with high blood flow, if arterial embolization alone is not effective, ligation of the supplying vessels of the lacerated artery is required to be effective.  Blood gas analysis of cavernous blood, which is an ancillary test for abnormal penile erection, can distinguish between the high-flow type and the low-flow type. The former blood gas analysis values are the same as those of arterial blood and the latter are the same as those of venous blood. It is worth noting that early abnormal penile erections are of the high-flow type.  A spongiogram can also differentiate between the two types. In venous obstruction, the blood flow is stagnant; in arterial type, the cavernous blood returns rapidly. On color ultrasound Doppler examination, the low-flow type shows minimal arterial blood flow and distension of the corpus cavernosum; the high-flow type may show arterial rupture and abnormal blood pools in the area of vascular injury.  Abnormal penile erection is not related to sexual desire, and the penis continues to be erect after seminal emission, which can cause permanent impotence if left untreated. It is generally considered that abnormal penile erection should be treated urgently within 12 hours and usually not more than 24 hours. The treatment principle is early conservative treatment, and if it fails, surgical treatment is feasible to restore normal cavernous blood circulation, make the abnormal erection subside and restore normal sexual function.