Health Care

A diagnosis of Peyronie's disease or curvature of the penis is usually made when men seek medical attention for painful erections and difficulty with intercourse. In some patients, they seek help because of severe curvature of the penis that may influence sexual life. One of Peyronie’s disease signs is a plaque or hard lump on the penis.

A diagnosis of Peyronie's disease by an urologist usually can be made by a detailed medical history and conducting a thorough physical examination. It is best to seek out an urologist who specializes in Peyronie's disease, as the disease and its current treatments are not well understood by most urologists in general practice. First of all, your doctor will talk to you and ask you about any circumstances, such as injury or trauma, which may have occurred prior to symptoms appearing. The Peyronie’s disease plaque is visible and palpable whether the penis is flaccid or erect. Sometimes, it is necessary to perform the examination with the erect penis. This is achieved by injecting a vasoactive substance that affects the blood vessels in the penis, causing erection. The patient may also provide pictures (digital or Polaroid) of the erect penis to demonstrate the deformity of the penis during penile erection that can be a useful adjunct and help the Urologist to determine the severity of the curvature and other deformity.

In some cases where the doctor's examination does not confirm Peyronie's disease, or in cases where the condition develops rapidly, your doctor may perform a biopsy. A biopsy involves removing plaque cells on the penis for microscopic examination in a lab and is used to detect cancer.

In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for Peyronie's disease may include the following:

* Ultrasound examination of the penis - a diagnostic technique which uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of the internal organs as well as Peyronie’s disease plaque and determine their size, thickness, and degree of calcification. Calcified plaque on penis is the example of condition that can be identified using x-ray or ultrasound as well as mature Peyronie’s disease plaque(s) can usually be seen on plain X-ray even when not calcified or ossified.

* color Doppler examination - a type of ultrasound that uses sound waves to measure the flow of blood through a blood vessel; waveforms of the blood flow are shown on the ultrasound screen (to evaluate erectile function, anatomy, and blood flow on the penis).

CT and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans are seldom necessary. Even though ultrasound was able to detect plaques and changes of the tunica albuginea of the penis, but MRI is more sensitive in the detection of possible inflammatory change. Therefore MRI has the potential to improve on therapy planning and should be used in monitoring the effects of the therapy.

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