Vacuum erection associated impotence and Peyronie's disease

Use of a nonmedical, catalogue type vacuum erection device resulted in a case of vacuum induced vasculogenic impotence and Peyronie's disease.

A 66-year-old potent man used a nonmedical vacuum erection device (cylinder plus a hand pump without a pressure-release valve and a doughnut-shaped ring at the base without tension bands) after having achieved a spontaneous rigid erection. The resultant excessive overinflation of the penis was followed by dorsal curvature, diminished rigidity and decreased erectile maintenance.

Physical examination revealed a dorsal mid shaft Peyronie's plaque. Nocturnal penile tumescence testing and office injection testing were abnormal and demonstrated partial, short-lived, dorsally curved erections. Dynamic pharmaco-cavernosometry and pharmaco-cavernosography established vasculogenic impotence with site-specific crural (unrelated to the Peyronie's plaque) veno-occlusive dysfunction and dorsal penile curvature.

Vacuum erection devices create pulling forces on the penis. We estimate that the pulling forces in this case were prohibitively high (approximately 29 pounds) due to absence of a pressure-release valve and to the preexistent erection at vacuum application. These intense pulling forces are hypothesized to have damaged the tunica in the mid shaft (Peyronie's disease) and the crus (veno-occlusive dysfunction), the latter being the site of attachment of the corpora to the ischiopubic ramus and a most likely location for high magnitude pulling forces to exert an abnormal injury effect. The patient underwent a Nesbit plication procedure and presently performs self-injection for satisfactory sexual activity.