Surgical outcomes in penile fractures: A single center experience in China

• Published in: Heliyon 2024-09, Vol.10 (18), p.e37260, Article e37260
• Main Authors: Zhu, Jun, Tang, Yuan, Zhu, Sainan, Kang, Jianming, Song, Weidong, Cui, Wanshou, Yuan, Yiming, Zhang, Zhichao, Peng, Jing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Erectile dysfunction; Penile fracture; Surgical repair; Urethral injury; Urological emergency
• ISSN: 2405-8440; 2405-8440
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37260

Penile fracture is an uncommon urological emergency resulting from tunica albuginea rupture during penile erection. It is a rare condition requiring urgent surgery. Despite immediate surgical repair, the patients' erectile functions may still be impacted by penile fracture. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of surgical repair in penile fractures and its impact on erectile function. Our cohort was composed of patients diagnosed with penile fractures and received surgical repair from September 2014 to August 2022 in Peking University First Hospital. Penile color Doppler ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis. Surgical exploration was conducted, and postoperative complications were evaluated during follow-up. Erectile function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) score. Univariate analysis was conducted employing the chi-square test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test to identify factors that may impact postoperative erectile function. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was conducted using logistic regression and linear regression to determine the independent risk factors influencing postoperative erectile function. A total of 58 patients were enrolled in our study. The majority of injuries (69.0 %, 40/58) resulted from vigorous sexual intercourse. Most of the patients (69.0 %, 40/58) presented within 24 h. Sixteen patients (27.6 %) presented with concomitant urethral injury. The median size of the tunical tear was 1.5 (IQR, 1.0–2.0) cm. Presentation delay correlated significantly with the difference in IIEF-5 score before and after surgery, with corresponding p values of 0.028. Urethral injury correlated significantly with postoperative erectile dysfunction (ED), postoperative IIEF-5 score, and the difference in IIEF-5 score before and after surgery, with corresponding p values of 0.002, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively. To conclude, surgical repair of penile fracture provides good functional results with few morbidities and urethral injury may adversely affect postoperative erectile function after penile fracture repair.