Treatment with penile retraction in Peyronie's disease with external penis-stretching

The number of Peyronie’s Disease cases reported in the United States has recently undergone a dramatic increase. In fact, according to a recent study, about ten percent of men in the US suspected of having the disease. Men with Peyronie’s Disease usually seek medical attention because of painful and difficulty with intercourse. Since the cause of the disease and its development are not well understood, many doctors still treat the disease blindly; that is, they prescribe treatments that have not been proven to help but have been used in the past. The goal of therapy is to keep the patient sexually active with a more functional erection.

Traditional treatments of Peyronie’s Disease

A number of treatments for Peyronie’s Disease have been attempted in the past – from oral vitamin E regimens to application of drugs in topical form such as a Verapamil cream. Topical Verapamil is administered by massaging it into the skin above the plaque. This has been found to transmit too low a dose of the drug into the plaque to be effective. Radiation has also been attempted, all with little success.

Modern treatments of Peyronie’s Disease

In recent years new treatment methods and devices have emerged and success rates with some of the treatments (in terms of reduced deformity) ranging from 40 to 70% have been noted. The apparent efficacy of certain drugs, and especially the potential offered by combination with treatments such as traction therapy, have encouraged leading researchers to engage in new research and clinical trials, some of which are already producing promising results. One of such methods called mechanical traction involves devices designed to pull and stretch penile tissue.

Penile retraction in Peyronie's disease with external penis-stretching

History & background

First developed in Europe in the 1990’s, these devices were initially designed for non-surgical lengthening of the Penis. It was soon noticed that this same external penis stretching actually stretched Peyronie’s plaque and reduce the severity of the curvature. This has led to increase use of mechanical traction therapy (for penile retraction) in Europe for the treatment of Peyronie’s Disease.

Principle of function of external penis-stretching device

A typical external penis stretching device works by allowing the patient to stretch the flaccid penis for several hours a day. The level of traction can be adjusted by adding metal sections to the length of the splint. Over time, the stretching action appears to either elongate the plaque, or cause remodeling of the tissue.

Evidence-based effectiveness of external stretching devices in Peyronie's disease

Studies confirm the effectiveness of external penis-stretching in Peyronie’s disease through penile retraction.

In one of such studies, all of the patients received some measure of improvement of their curvatures, ranging from 10 to 45 degrees of the original curve. They also gained girth and length, up to an increase in length of 2.5cm in one case. This is an important side effect of value to patients who have suffered a decrease in penile length with the disease. During this study, subjects wore the extender device for a minimum of two to four hours a day, some even longer. Weekly contact with the subject ensured continued motivation and compliance with the treatment regimen. The result was the high level of success reported at the end of the trial.

In another study performed on twenty-two men (aged 18 to 78 years) suffering from Peyronie's disease at different stages of penile retraction, the use of external penis-stretching device was found to be highly useful and effective.

The study was published in the international Journal of Impotence Research (vol. 14, suppl. 4, December2002). According to the results, when the “Penis-stretching device” was prescribed for 6 hours/day, for some months, the stretched penis length ranged 9.7-15.2 cm. Furthermore, no adverse side effects were observed. Hence, the study successfully and significantly verified the efficacy of the mechanical penile stretching in Peyronie's disease.

Based on the results of the above-mentioned studies, it can be concluded that the use of external penis-stretching devices has significantly and successfully improved the overall health (including curvature, length and girth) of the penis in men suffering from Peyronie's disease, without any side effects. 

article taken from MoreNiche.com

Impotence, infertility and sterility in men!

Know the difference – the easy!

In men, the terms “erectile dysfunction, sterility and infertility” are often confused and mistakenly inter-exchanged with each other. However, in reality, these denote three different (in fact, completely different) conditions. It is, therefore, very important for every adult man who is concerned about his sexual and overall health to know, learn and understand the basic difference between these three disorders that could have a profound psychosocial impact on each of any man.

Sterility

Sterility is often taken as a synonym to infertility, though they both mean disability to bear a child yet they have a very basic difference. Sterility means that it is impossible for a couple to conceive a child. A diagnosis of sterility is given after a thorough examination concludes that there is no sperm production and ovulation cannot occur. In simpler words, sterility means that the person is unable to reproduce sexually; this mostly is because of problem in the reproductive system. Sterility is very restricted to the reproductive system like damage in ovaries or varicose veins in the testicles might cause sterility.

Infertility

Infertility refers to inability to conceive or not being able to get pregnant after one year of trying. It also means that a couple is not sterile but for some reason has not been able to conceive a child.  Infertility might exist because of certain abnormalities that might not be related to the reproductive system. At times infertility exist because of stress, emotional shocks or side effect of any treatment,

There are three conditions that need to be met for conception to be possible: sperm must be present, the fallopian tubes must be open, and ovulation must be able to occur. If one or more of these conditions is not met, the couple suffers from “true infertility.” If all three conditions are met but the couple has failed to conceive, the diagnosis is “sub-fertility.”

Infertility in men is not an uncommon condition. About one-third of infertility cases are caused by women’s problems. Another one third of fertility problems are due to the man. The other cases are caused by a mixture of male and female prob­lems or by unknown problems.

What causes infertility in men?

Infertility in men is most often caused by:

• A problem called varicocele. This happens when the veins on a man’s testicle(s) are too large. This heats the testicles. The heat can affect the number or shape of the sperm.

 Other factors that cause a man to make too few sperm or none at all include:

• Movement of the sperm: This may be caused by the shape of the sperm. Sometimes injuries or other damage to the reproductive system block the sperm.
• Sometimes a man is born with the problems that affect his sperm. Other times problems start later in life due to illness or injury. For example, cystic fibrosis often causes infertility in men.

What increases a man’s risk of infertility?

A man's sperm can be changed by his overall health and lifestyle. Some things that may reduce the health or number of sperm include:

• Heavy alcohol use

• Drugs

• Smoking cigarettes

• Age

• Environmental toxins, including pesticides and lead

• Health problems such as mumps, serious conditions like kidney dis­ease, or hormone problems

• Medicines

• Radiation treatment and chemo­therapy for cancer

Impotence

Erectile dysfunction or impotence is the persistent or recurrent inability to attain or maintain an erection sufficient to complete sexual intercourse or another chosen sexual activity. It is very common and affects at least one in every ten men. This means that there are an estimated 2.3 million men in the UK suffering from erectile dysfunction. Regrettably, only about 10% of sufferers actually receive treatment. The number of men suffering erectile dysfunction increases with age.

What causes male impotency?
Most men have an occasional failure to get or keep an erection. It usually results from stress, tiredness, anxiety, depression, or excessive alcohol consumption. Other physical (or medical) causes of male impotence include:

Physical causes of erectile dysfunction include:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Side effect of prescribed drugs
• Heavy smoking
• Neurological diseases, stroke and (rarely) a past head injury
• Alcoholism and drug abuse, and other less common causes

How to treat male impotence (erectile dysfunction)?

An erection is produced when blood rushes into the penis and fills the spongy tissue, making the penis stiffen.

Therefore, many of the treatments for impotence affect the flow of blood into the penis.

Medicines: There are several types of drug for impotence that can be taken orally. These should be taken 20 – 30 minutes before you wish to have sex, and can last between 6 to 36 hours depending on which medication is used. Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, all are some of the commonly used drugs for the “temporary” treatment of male impotence. However, these drugs are not free of side effects and should not be used in patients with heart disease, angina or abnormal blood pressure.

Injections: Another form of treatment is injections into the penis to cause erection. With this method, you will be trained to inject the base of your penis with a very fine needle before having sex. This injection releases a drug, causing the penis to fill with blood and stiffen. Again, injections do have their own unwanted effects such as pain, allergy and discomfort.

Surgery: Vascular surgery and penile implants have been tested in various patients suffering from ED. Vascular surgery unblocks blood flow to the penis, allowing natural erections to occur again. Penile implants, on the other hand, involve the insertion of an inflatable device or rods to create an erection. However, as in other surgeries, the costs

Vacuum devices: For some men, a vacuum device is useful in achieving an erection. Here, a plastic tube is passed over then penis and a hand pump creates a vacuum in the tube, forcing blood into the penis, which then becomes erect. A tight ring is then slipped onto the base of the penis, which prevents most of the blood escaping and thereby maintaining the erection.

article taken from MoreNiche.com