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Peyronie’s Disease in Scottsdale, AZ

The Scottsdale Stem Cell Treatment Center offers treatment for Peyronie’s disease to the residents of Scottsdale, Phoenix, and the surrounding Arizona communities.

What Is Peyronie’s Disease?

Peyronie’s disease is caused by scar tissue inside the penis, resulting in curved, painful erections.

The penis varies in size and shape. Having a curved penis is not uncommon and is not necessarily concerning. However, Peyronie’s disease creates stress and anxiety for some men. For a minority of men, Peyronie’s disease resolves on its own, but for many the condition is chronic causing worsening symptoms over time.

Peyronie’s Disease Causes

The exact cause of Peyronie’s disease is not currently known, but some factors seem to be involved. Peyronie’s disease may result from repeated injuries to the penis during sexual activity, sports, or a traumatic accident. Men with Peyronie’s disease do not usually recall a specific injury to the penis, however.

Scar tissue appears in a disorganized manner during the healing process, which can lead to the formation of a noticeable nodule or an actual curvature.

The penis houses a number of spongy tubes called the corpus cavernosum that contains a multitude of very small blood vessels. Each corpus cavernosum is surrounded by an elastic tissue sheath called the tunica albuginea, which elongates in an erection. During sexual arousal, blood flow increases to these chambers. When the chambers begin filling with blood, the penis straightens, expands, and stiffens into an erection.

In cases of Peyronie’s disease, the area of scar tissue does not stretch along with the rest of the erect penis, and the penis will bend, grow disfigured, or become painful. In some cases, Peyronie’s disease develops gradually and does not appear to be related to a traumatic injury. Studies are currently being conducted to investigate if Peyronie’s disease may be related to a genetic trait or specific health conditions.

Peyronie’s Disease Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of Peyronie’s disease may appear suddenly or occur gradually. The most common symptoms of the disease are as follows:

  • Scar Tissue: Scar tissue or plaques form and can be felt underneath the skin of the penis, presenting as a band of tough tissue or flat lumps.
  • Noticeable Bend to the Penis: The penis can curve downward, upward, or to one side. Sometimes, the erect penis may have an hourglass appearance, indentations, or a narrow band surrounding the shaft.
  • Erection Difficulties: Peyronie’s disease may create difficulties in having or maintaining an erection.
  • Penis Shortening: The penis may shrink because of Peyronie’s disease.
  • Pain: The sufferer may experience penile pain, regardless of the state of erection.

The curvature caused by Peyronie’s disease may worsen, but in most cases the curvature stabilizes.

Pain during erections will improve within one or two years with most men, but the curvature and scar tissue usually linger. In some men, the pain and curvature due to Peyronie’s disease will resolve without any treatment.

Treating Peyronie’s Disease with Stem Cell Therapy

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Peyronie’s disease that does not involve surgery, which itself can cause more scarring, loss of sensation, shortening, and impaired erectile functioning. Cases involving calcification have the worst outcomes with non-surgical treatment. Some non-surgical treatments include vitamin E, colchicine, Potaba, carnitine, tamoxifen, and Omega-3 fatty acids. No formal studies have demonstrated any benefit of these treatments over placebo.

Many clinicians use Verapamil cream, but no studies exist to prove the cream actually penetrates inside the tunica albuginea. Eight studies have been conducted on intralesional Verapamil injections that show some positive benefits regarding curvature decrease and deformity, with an improvement of 30 and 60 percent, respectively. The standard treatment involves the twice-monthly injection of 10 mg of Verapamil a total of 12 times.

Interferon alpha 2b injections have shown mixed results. A phase 3 FDA study is currently being conducted of Xiaflex®, which is created from bacterial collagenase. Early results have found a curvature reduction rate 20 percent greater than that of placebo. Also, some ongoing studies of a device for penile traction involve stretching the penis. Early results suggest there is some positive effect, but this method utilizes a taxing application of a device to the penis on a daily basis.

Some evidence exists that stem cells may seek out and try to repair a Dupuytren’s contracture—a condition similar to Peyronie’s disease but involving the hand. This offers hope that stem cell therapy may be effective in treating inflammatory scarring that occur in other body parts. We have devised a method involving the intralesional injection of stem cells into Peyronie’s scar tissue. This treatment provides a non-surgical option for those with Peyronie’s disease who have failed to respond to more traditional methods but would prefer to avoid surgery.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of Peyronie’s disease, please contact us at Scottsdale Stem Cell to find out whether STV or another form of stem cell treatment is right for you and your unique condition.

Written by Scottsdale Stem Cell Center