Dr. Paul E. Perito
Dr. Paul E. Perito, the namesake of Perito Urology – the world’s busiest erectile dysfunction clinic, offers surgical correction for Peyronie’s disease. He notes that before a patient is a candidate for an invasive procedure, they should consider nonsurgical therapy.
According to Dr. Paul E. Perito, men in the early phases of Peyronie’s disease (less than one year), or those in which the progression of the deformity progresses in an unstable manner may be prime candidates for nonsurgical treatment methods. As well, says Dr. Paul E. Perito, are those with inflammation severe enough to cause painful erections. The FDA has no currently approved nonsurgical treatments for Peyronie’s disease, as there is insufficient research on the subject. However, reports Dr. Paul E. Perito, a qualified physician can offer men suffering from Peyronie’s a variety of non-FDA approved treatments.
There have been studies suggesting oral therapy utilizing L-arginine and pentoxifylline have been shown to produce an anti-scarring effect in lab rats, reports Dr. Paul E. Perito. Rodents with intentionally induced penile scarring were given a combination of these agents and either Cialis, Levitra or Viagra in drinking water. It was determined that rats drinking this compound presented less scar tissue than those given plain drinking water. According to Dr. Paul E. Perito, once scar tissue was well established, the introduction of these compounds produced negligible results. The researchers concluded that oral treatments were more effective during the acute phase of the disease, while scar tissue is still forming.
Injection therapy, reports Dr. Paul E. Perito, also shows promise. Verapamil, as an intralesional injection, has offered marked improvement of Peyronie’s disease deformity in between 30 and 60% of patients. In similar studies, Verapamil injections showed favorable results when compared to a saline solution placebo. Additionally, reports Dr. Paul E. Perito, some physicians recommend a topical Verapamil gel, but he notes that this form of administration is unproven and expensive. According to Dr. Paul E. Perito, an injection of collagenase directly into scar tissue has also shown potential. Collagenase is akin to a chemical knife and works within the scar to break down collagen production, which will hopefully reduce the severity of the visible penile defect, says Dr. Perito.
Dr. Paul E. Perito notes that recent studies sponsored by the American Urological Association show that primary care physicians, as well as urologists, largely rely on vitamin E as a first step into the nonsurgical treatment of Peyronie’s Disease. There have been numerous placebo controlled studies that suggest vitamin E is ineffective, and therefore Dr. Paul E. Perito maintains that physician education about PD is important so that more effective treatments can be offered in the future.
It appears that the best option for the nonsurgical treatment of Peyronie’s disease may include a combination of therapies. According to Dr. Paul E. Perito, vacuum and stretching devices are available and, when used in harmony with administered drug therapies, may offer visible results as to the correction of penile curvature. External traction remains the most attractive noninvasive therapy and has been proven effective in other areas of medicine as well, including orthopedics and orthodontia, concludes Dr. Paul E. Perito.
The information contained in this article is provided by Dr. Paul E. Perito for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition. Dr. Paul E. Perito and Perito Urology may be contacted by calling 305.444.2920