Long-Term Clinical Course of Peyronie's Disease Treated Conservatively

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the natural history of Peyronie's disease and to determine the suitable time for surgical treatment, we investigated changes of clinical findings of the disease over time. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated changes of plaque size, penile curvature and erectile dysfunction in 10 patients with Peyronie's disease. The mean follow-up period was 36.8 months. RESULTS: At the first examination, the mean plaque size of patients with erectile dysfunction was larger than that of those without erectile dysfunction, suggesting a positive association between size and erectile function. There was no significant relationship between plaque size and penile pain or penile curvature. The mean size of plaques decreased significantly compared with that at the first examination (p < 0.05). However, penile curvature, pain and erectile dysfunction persisted during the follow-up period in all but one patient, who showed improvement of penile curvature. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that we may recommend a shorter observation period until surgery that we have done for some patients who want to be surgically treated.