Priapism: review of 34 cases

One hundred ninety-seven cases of priapism have been recorded in the medical files of Charity Hospital Louisiana in New Orleans from 1938-1982. One hundred seventy-two adults and 25 children were registered in this series. Ninety-three per cent of the patients with priapism were black, and 86 patients of this group underwent 93 surgical procedures. The cases of 34 patients treated between July 1, 1981, and December 31, 1982, were thoroughly reviewed. Sixteen patients had a previous history of priapism. Average delay between onset of symptoms and presentation to the hospital for treatment was thirty hours. Sickle cell screens were obtained in 28 patients and were positive in 17. Twenty-nine patients were initially treated conservatively, with 17 priapisms eventually resolving, but the remaining 12 patients required surgical intervention. Overall, 50 per cent of the 34 patients had surgery. All of the surgical cases resolved satisfactorily with the Winter procedure. Complications with this procedure were uncommon, but postoperative bandaging was the chief cause of morbidity. Follow-up for at least six months revealed comparable sexual potency (80-83%) in either conservatively or surgically managed patients.