A biomechanical model of Peyronie's disease

Peyronie's disease is a pathological condition of the penis which is characterized by localized ossification of the tunica albuginea. A common symptom of the chronic stage is penile deformity during erection, which is frequently associated with pain and erectile dysfunction. A two-dimensional biomechanical model of the penis was applied to study the development of Peyronie's disease by simulating the mechanical stress distribution which would result from the interaction of the ossified tunical tissue with other penile soft tissues. The model was solved by using commercial finite element software for a characteristic erectile pressure. The results demonstrate that Peyronie's plaques may induce intensified stresses around the penile nerves and blood vessels, up to double those in the normal penis. These elevated stresses may cause a painful sensation of neural origin or ischemia in regions of compressed vascular tissue. Severe penile deformities have been shown to develop if Peyronie's plaques develop only around one of the corpora cavernosa due to the non-homogeneous resistance of the tunica to expansion during erection. The present model can be clinically applied as an aid in the planning process of reconstructive surgery or insertion of a prosthesis.