Comparative study of pharmaceutical treatment of Peyronie’s disease

Authors: Mavromanolakis E.^{1, *}; Sifakis G.¹; Nestoridis G.¹; Delakas D.¹; Maraki S.¹; Cranidis A.¹

Source: Sexual Dysfunction, Volume 1, Number 2, July 1999 , pp. 77-81(5)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Peyronie’s disease may cause severe penile deformity and eventually lead to erectile dysfunction, making sexual intercourse difficult or, indeed in some cases, impossible. Various regimens of conservative therapy have been tried, once the disease has been stabilized, giving some promising results as an alternative to surgical therapy in the early, non-calcified stage, of the disease.

From January 1992 to December 1997, 43 men with Peyronie’s disease were randomly divided into two groups, 22 (group A) and 21 (group B), respectively. They were treated either with a mixture of hydrocortisone 500 mg, xylocaine 2% 2 ml and heparin 0.5 ml (5000 IU (international unit) ml^-1), which was locally injected every 15 days for 3 months, or interferon-2b 5000 000 IU, which was injected weekly, for a 10-week period. All patients were assessed ultrasonographically and clinically with intracavernous injections at the end of treatment.

There was clinical improvement with decrease of pain in 7/22 patients (31.8%) in group A and in 14/21 patients (66.6%) in group B (this was a significant difference, P = 0.022). Penile curvature was improved in 10 [4/22 (18.1%) in group A, and 6/21 (28.5%) in group B], while penile rigidity improved in 12 [6/22 (27.2%) in group A, and 6/21 (28.5%) in group B]. Fibrous plaques disappeared in seven patients (31.8%) in group A and in 12 patients (57.1%) in group B. Plaque size was decreased in 5/22 (22.7%) in group A and in 8/21 (38%) in group B. The disease remained unchanged in 5/22 (22.7%) in group A and in 3/21 (14.2%) in group B. Sixteen out of 21 patients (76.1%) developed mild side-effects (flu-like symptoms) during the first 24 h after interferon injection and one patient had to drop out of treatment because of a high fever (39–40°C), strong chills, vomiting, and myalgia.

Patients with small-size, non-calcified plaques, who underwent treatment with interferon-2b, had better clinical results compared with the patients who underwent treatment with hydrocortisone, heparin and xylocaine mixture.

Keywords: interferon-2b; Peyronie’s disease; pharmaceutical treatment

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Urology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion 71110, Crete, Greece *

Publication date: 1999-07-01

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Neurology & Psychiatry ,  Families & Communities
• By this author: Mavromanolakis E. ;  Sifakis G. ;  Nestoridis G. ;  Delakas D. ;  Maraki S. ;  Cranidis A.

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