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Suction bell straightens penis
Non-invasive therapy for induratio penis plastica – case history
Surgery is often only an insufficient remedy for induratio penis plastica (incurvate penis). In a recent case, physicians Peter Jehle and Holger Dietrich of Wittenberg showed that completely non-invasive surgery can also be successful. |
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Case history:
Since late 1999 a 61 year-old patient has been receiving urological treatment for induratio penis plastica (IPP) without success. The patient has regularly attended the medical clinic for the purpose of monitoring a case of ulcerative colitis. From a medical point of view the ulcerative colitis was in remission and kidney function normal. Because the patient would not consent to an operation to correct the IPP, it was suggested he undergo a new non-invasive therapy. This showed remarkable results after only a few months. |
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Therapy:
The patient was acquainted with a heavy-duty bell condom (Phallosan®). The principle of the bell condom (Fig. 1) is based on gentle but constant stretching of the penis. In a lateral position, various degrees of tension can be exerted on the penis in one direction (Fig. 2).
The patient was instructed to wear the bell condom – initially for two to three hours daily – and to set the tension in the opposite direction of the penis curvature. Before the start of the treatment the curvature was as shown in Fig. 3a. Only three months into the treatment a degree of straightening of the penis was to be observed (Fig. 3b). The patient was able to engage in sexual intercourse for the first time in many months. After a further six months the curvature was substantially reduced (Fig. 3c).
The patient was delighted with the results and since its sexual function had been returned to normal he no longer considered the possibility of straightening by surgery. No side-effects were experienced from the use of the bell condom. Although the patient now wears the bell condom only occasionally, the success of the treatment has lasted until the present day – two years after the start. |
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Comments:
The treatment with the heavy-duty bell condom represents a new and completely non-invasive treatment of IPP. Exerting tension on the penis for several hours a day in the direction opposite the curvature straightens it, thus normalizing its sexual function. Further studies with a larger number of cases will be necessary to determine whether the heavy-duty bell condom is successful in remedying other types of erectile dysfunction. Reports to date from diabetics with erectile dysfunction and paraplegic patients are very encouraging. |
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| Therapy hitherto without guaranteed success |
Almost 2,000 cases of morbus peyronie have been described to date in international literature. With or without therapy, it can be brought to a standstill, deteriorate or go into remission. In a clinical study 130 patients were treated with ultrasonic waves (21 patients), varapamil injections (73 patients) or ultrasonic waves combined with varapamil injections (36 patients).
The plaques were reduced by ultrasonic waves in 11 of the 21 patients. Although the authors recommend treatment with ultrasound or verapamil, the results were not convincing.
Another study was able to show that the injection of betamethasone or placebo reduced the volume of plaque in 40% of the patients examined. In this study it was thus only possible to identify the mechanical effect of the injection volume as the actual effective mechanism.
Surgical treatment of IPP – corporoplastic with or without plaque excision and penis prosthesis – does not achieve the desired results in every patient. Due to the probably multifactorial recovery there is currently no general therapeutic concept. |
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| The author is known to the Phalomed and will be communicated after concrete inquiry.
Literature available at editorial office |
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Figure 1 -
Equipment:
The suction bell consists of a belt that is tied around the waist. To this are attached heavy-duty stretch condoms, available in various sizes. |
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Figure 2 - Application:
Tension creates a minor vacuum that is distributed over the penis by the bell condom. |
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Figure 3 -
Progress:
Original clinical finding (A) and straightening of the penis after three (b) and nine months (C) of treatment. The heavy-duty stretch condom was worn for an average of three hours a day with tension to the right. |
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Information on the suction bell
At www.phallosan.com you will find all the currently known facts on fitting and wearing the heavy-duty stretch condom and important tips on hygienic use. |
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Origins of Peyronie’s disease unknown
As early as 1743 the French surgeon François Gigot de la Peyronie described a hyalinisation of the elastic connective tissue of the tunica albuginea of the penis that may result in plaque formation with successive distortion of the penis in the direction of the plaque.
Although 260 years have meanwhile elapsed since the first description, the cause of induratio penis plastica has still not been fully explained. Histopathologic tests show that an important role is played by impairment of collagen metabolism.
Increased synthesis of Type III collagen has been made responsible for plaque formation. In clinical tests a coarse band is usually detected on the dorsal side of the tunica albuginea on the shaft of the penis, more rarely on the root or in the region of the sulcus coronarius. In advanced cases the “bony” plaques can be identified on the sonograph or x-ray.
Histmorphologically speaking, the hyalinisation resembles vasculitis. Frequently the induratio penis plastica is combined with a Dupuytren’s contraction in the region of the ventral tendons of the hand or a disease of the rheumatic variety. |
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Combined treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia is best
A recent study on benign hyperplasia shows that alpha-blockers improve the agonizing symptoms of BPH, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors check progression.
Within the scope of the MTOPS (Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms) Study more than 3,000 BPH patients received the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor Finasterid in addition to the alpha-blocker Doxazosin, a monotherapy with one of the substances (plus placebo) or placebo only. The participants were monitored for an average of 4.5 years.
The results confirm what was already known from PLESS (Proscar Long-Term-Efficacy and Safety Study): acute urinary retention is less common with Finasterid, there is less need for surgery, the prostate volume reduces, progression is arrested. These effects are more pronounced, the larger the prostate and the higher the PSA value at the start of treatment.
Two older studies, one in the USA with Terazosin and one in Europe with Doxazosin, each with Finasterid, simply confirmed the superiority of alpha-blockers compared to the placebo. The combination did not produce an additional benefit within one year. A measure for the success in this case was merely an improvement in the symptomatology and diuresis rate. In contrast, the purpose of the MTOPS study was to determine whether the progress of the condition can be stopped. Although the combination was unable to achieve this in the first year, in the long-term it was significantly better than the
monotherapies.
Source:
Symposium “Shaping the Future of Medical Management of Prostate Diseases”, MSD Sharp & Dohme, Rome, April 2003
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Trospium chloride stabilizes the bladder
In a study by Wiedemann et al at the end of the 14-day treatment with trospium chloride (Spasmolyt®) 91.3% of the patients stated that their symptoms had been alleviated considerably. At the start of treatment the incontinence episodes averaged 4.5 per day and in the course of the tests they fell to 1.6 per day. On the third day of the therapy a reduction in pollakiuria and nycturia was already noted by 69% and 57% of the patients respectively. A metaanalysis by Fröhlich et al shows that mouth dryness plays only a minor role at 14% to 8.4% with placebo. Trospium chloride is the only
parasympatholytic that is not absorbed by fluids, so that ZNS side effects occur less frequently than with placebo.
Source: International Continence Society, 2002, Düsseldorf
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