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Surgical management and post-operative functional outcomes of patients with a penile fracture—a single centre experience over 10 years

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Abstract

Background

Penile fractures are uncommon urological emergencies which occur when there has been a breach in the tunica albuginea of the corpora cavernosum that may be unilateral and bilateral and can extend to involve the urethra.

Aim

To assess the management and outcomes of penile fractures in a single institution in Ireland.

Methods

A retrospective review of the emergency theatre logbooks was performed between 2011 and 2021 to identify patients who had undergone an exploration for a suspected penile fracture.

Outcomes

Seventeen patients were initially identified on review of theatre logbooks as having an exploration for a suspected penile fracture. Two patients were excluded from the study due to a lack of clinical notes being available. A further 4 patients on chart review were found to not have a penile fracture at exploration.

Results

Eleven patients had a confirmed penile fracture intra-operatively, four of whom had an associated urethral injury. Nine (9/11) patients had preserved normal erections post-operatively documented on follow-up; two, however, reported erectile dysfunction requiring phosphodiesterase inhibitors.

Clinical implications

Our study supports urgent surgical exploration for penile fractures to ensure good functional outcomes.

Strengths and limitations

This is a retrospective review of theatre logbooks to identify patients with a suspected penile fracture.

Conclusion

The results of our cohort show a good outcome of erectile function following surgical repair of a penile fracture (9/11; 82%). Four patients (4/11; 36%) had a urethral injury diagnosed intra-operatively, one of whom required a formal urethroplasty.

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Funding

There was no funding for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Sarah M. Norton, Yazan Qaoud, Elinor Doherty, Killian Daly, Robert Keenan, Mark Quinlan, Waleed Mohammed, Niall Davis & Ponnusamy Mohan

Authors
  1. Sarah M. Norton
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  2. Yazan Qaoud
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  3. Elinor Doherty
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  4. Killian Daly
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  5. Robert Keenan
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  6. Mark Quinlan
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  7. Waleed Mohammed
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  8. Niall Davis
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  9. Ponnusamy Mohan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah M. Norton.

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Ethical approval

All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments.

Conflict of interest

There is no conflict of interests in this study for any authors.

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Norton, S., Qaoud, Y., Doherty, E. et al. Surgical management and post-operative functional outcomes of patients with a penile fracture—a single centre experience over 10 years. Ir J Med Sci 193, 917–920 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-023-03548-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-023-03548-7

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