Penile Fracture: Presentation, Diagnosis and the Treatment

Abstract

Background: Penile fractures typically occur when the engorged penile corpora are forced to buckle and literally “pop” under the pressure of a blunt sexual trauma, due to slippage of the penis out of the vagina during intercourse and the treatment is often delayed due to embarrassment felt by the patient. The condition is one of the uncommon emergencies but fully diagnosed through history and clinical examination alone. Patients typically describe that a “plop” sound was followed by immediate de-tumescence, severe pain, and swelling, called as “egg-plant” deformity, as a result of the injury.

Methods: The diagnosis of penile fracture describes the traumatic rupture of the tunica albuginea of an erect penis. Although a majority of cases can be diagnosed from the history and physical examination alone, radiographic studies, including retrograde urethrography and corporal cavernosography can aid in the diagnosis of this unusual cases.

Results: The patient reports to the surgical emergency within 24 to 48 hours of injury and can be handled successfully with minimum complications. The immediate surgical exploration with evacuation of the hematoma and repair of tunica albuginea defect is the ideal and most efficacious treatment of such a condition.

Conclusions: Postoperatively, the patient may have penile bending/torsion and erectile dysfunction, but this is often self-limiting.