Penile lengthening with porcine small intestinal submucosa grafting in Peyronie's disease treatment: long-term surgical outcomes, patients' satisfaction and dissatisfaction predictors.

BACKGROUND

Peyronie's Disease (PD) is an acquired connective tissue disorder that often leads to penile curvature (PC) and sexual dysfunction. Penile lengthening procedures (PLP) with four-layered porcine small intestinal submucosa graft (Surgisis ES; Cook) have been widely used in patients with severe PC when erectile function is preserved. However, complications such as erectile dysfunction (ED) may limit treatment satisfaction.

OBJECTIVES

Focusing on patients perspective, our study aims to evaluate longterm patient-reported outcomes, satisfaction, and dissatisfaction predictors after PLP.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This prospective study included 32 patients affected by PD with severe PC submitted to PLP with Surgisis ES between 2011 and 2014. All patients were submitted to a standardized protocol with regular clinical evaluation at 3, 6 and 12 months, and yearly thereafter. After the third year follow-up, IIEF-5, modified EDITS and an additional non-validated questionnaire were completed.

RESULTS

Concerning the surgical procedure, the mean tunical defect area (TDA) was 15.9 ± 6.9 cm . The mean follow-up time were 49.6 ± 12.7 months and there was a significant increase in stretched penile length (p = 0.01). Postoperative erectile function as assessed by IIEF-5 was positively correlated with overall treatment satisfaction evaluated through EDITS (p = 0.01). TDA was negatively correlated with postoperative IIEF-5 (R = -0.56, p < 0.001). TDA ≥ 14.375 cm can predict ED with 76.9% sensibility and 58.3% specificity. Moreover, TDA ≥ 21.875 cm can predict clinically significant ED (IIEF-5 score ≤17) with 80% sensibility and 95.2% specificity. Patient-reported longterm complications were 65.6% decreased penile length, 56.5% diminished rigidity and 25% curvature recurrence.

CONCLUSION

PLP using a Surgisis ES is a valuable surgical option for the treatment of PD with severe PC. Although it results in high rates of long-term patient-reported overall satisfaction, possible outcomes such as postoperative ED must be acknowledged. TDA is a strong predictor for postoperative ED and should be considered in clinical practice to classify patients in low- or high-risk for postoperative ED.