The Relationship Between the Time Until Penile Fracture Repair and Post-Operative Erectile Dysfunction

Although penile fracture is a rare condition, the damage it may cause afterwards is challenging for patients. We aimed to investigate the relationship between late presentation to the hospital and the frequency of erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients with penile fractures.

In our cross-sectional, retrospective study, the frequency and severity of ED were calculated according to the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scoring in patients with penile fracture admitted to Dicle University Hospital in the inter-operative period between the event and the operation and the subsequent controls. The relationship between these two conditions was analysed.

Forty-six patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in our study. The mean age was 37 (28-46) years. The mean preoperative IIEF was 25 (20-28), and the mean postoperative IIEF was 21.3 (15-27). The mean event-operation time was 9 (6-15) hours. The rate of sexual intercourse was 50%, trauma was 30%, development after masturbation was 11%, and other causes were 9%.

Penile fracture is a real urological emergency, and as urologists, we need to intervene as early as possible in patients experiencing this condition. We found that patients who presented to the hospital more than 12.5 hours after penile fracture had a significantly higher risk of developing ED or worsening ED in the subsequent period.