congenital curvature or peyronies

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hitchens1

Hi all. I was hoping to benefit from the experience of forum members after a visit to my local GP (general doctor in the UK) which unfortunately left me quite confused about the curve in my penis. I have been referred to a urologist but due to lack of resources I expect a wait of at least two months before an initial consultation.

I have had a curve in my penis since at least 10/11 years old. I am in my early 30s now. The curve is bending toward the left. The penis has a clear turn from about 1/2 inch from the base of the penis, but there is a curvature continuing through the rest of the penis shaft (so its not like the penis is straight after the turn .. its like a banana shape albeit with a starting point to the curvature). The curve at the turning point is probably 30 to 35 degrees. There is possibly some firmness at the base of the penis around the turning point, but I cant feel any obvious plaque. My doctor on examination thought initially that he felt something then after continued examination said he couldn't find anything. There isn't noticeable pain on erection and there isn't any lack of hardness in erection either. I have read about an 'hourglass' shape sometimes with peyronies, in my case the base of the penis is slightly thinner than the middle of the penis (which is fatter) but I have observed this in other penises so I assume my narrowness at the base of the penis is ok (prhaps around 10% thinner at base to middle).  

My doctor said that he either thought I had congenital curvature of the penis or that I had suffered from some trauma in childhood which resulted in the curvature (I assume he meant peyronies ... which I had read was rare in young men but still happened). Would be interested to hear opinions based on your experiences of whether it sounds like its congenital curvature or whether it is indeed peyronies. Also, is anyone able to give a good description of what plaque feels like in the penis, how hard is it and what does it feel like under pressure etc?

Thanks in advance.    

LWillisjr

hitchens1,
What you describe would seem to be a congenital curve, but impossible to tell from just a verbal description. But typically a curvature you have from birth would seem to be congenital.
Developed peyronies 2007 - 70 degree dorsal curve
Traction/MEDs/Injections/Surgery 2008 16 years Peyronies free now
My History

NeoV

I always had an upward curve, and for me this seems to have contributed to my Peyronie's a bit.
The line between congenital and Peyronies isn't always clear, since it could be a little bit of both. The number of men with scar tissue on their penises is much higher than we suspect, the good news is that it might not negatively affect you. If you suspect Peyronie's, see a specialist, not a regular urologist, and demand an ultrasound. There is no way a regular doctor can diagnose Peyronie's with his hands. They are still stuck in the terrible mindset that "Peyronie's is a hard plaque, and that you should take vitamin E and wait".

Scar tissue can be thin, soft, and nearly undetectable. Even the literature seems to contain some confusion regarding this question.

The important thing for you is to maintain penile health and prevent any injury that your curve might make you susceptible to. This mean's making sure to be careful during sex and masturbation, and ensure hard and properly filled out erections. For years I used to masturbate with less than a hard erection and it caused inflammation and bending after. Be careful and stay healthy.

The other things is that you could try traction. Manual or with a device. If you do, be careful, since you can cause permanent damage or cause Peyronie's.
I would be stretching right away if I had a curve, but again, dangerous if not careful.

hitchens1

Thank you for your responses. I have begun to look for a peyronies specialist practising in one of the London hospitals but I have had no luck so far. It seems like this condition is woefully researched and not covered by a decent amount of specialists. Something needs to be done about this. If anyone knows a good peyronies specialist in London I would be very grateful for their details.

On having an ultrasound, how is this done exactly? Do they induce an erection through some means? It sounds a bit silly on my part but I would be very embarrassed for an ultrasound guy to induce an erection & then to use a scanner on my erect penis. I shouldn't be embarrassed but I have to admit its a bit out of my comfort zone as I'm a very shy and private individual.

cheers.

 

james1947

To check for plaques, the ultrasound is done in flaccid.
To check for venous leakages is done by inducing an erection with a saline injection.
You should not be embarrassed even if it is a lady that is injecting you. Same as you have a lady cashier in the supermarket.
This is his or her work.
I had all my ultrasounds done by urologists with female assistance, the PRP injections by a female doctor and female assistance.

James
Age 71, Peyronies from Jan 2009 following penis fracture during sex. Severe ED.
Lost 2" length and a lot of girth. Late start, still VED, Cialis & Pentox helped. Prostate surgery 2014.
Got amazing support on the forum

LWillisjr

My ultrasound was done by a male. I thought it would bother me but was all done very clinical. Plus I wanted answers and wanted to determine what was really going on in regards to Peyronies disease. I know it can seem embarassing to think about it, but you need to get professional treatment.
Developed peyronies 2007 - 70 degree dorsal curve
Traction/MEDs/Injections/Surgery 2008 16 years Peyronies free now
My History

hitchens1

After first posting my issue on this board, I followed up through the system in order to get a diagnosis.

I first had an appointment with a consultant urologist in London. He felt for plaques with a physical examination, which didn't yield any result. I showed him photos of the penis as well. He essentially said it was uncertain whether I had congenital curvature or peyronies, but since there was only mild curvature and no other symptoms there wasn't any need to do anything about it. I have had this curvature since childhood so he said it wasn't going to get worse now. He advised just leaving it alone, but referred me to a hospital consultant / surgeon, a Mr Muneer at UCHL London for a scan as I was keen to know what was causing the curvature.

I attended the clinic at UCHL and saw Mr Muneer. He also did a physical examination and looked at the pictures. He asked questions surrounding the type of erection I had and so on. He said from the pictures there appeared to be a 'kink' rather than a general bend, therefore he thought rather than a congenital bend it was "some fibrosis caused by trauma" or some "early / earlier peyronies" (not sure what he said at this point exactly). He said it was a minor bend from a long time ago so it wouldn't get worse at this stage. He advised not doing anything as it would cause side effects. We discussed a scan to confirm what was going on, but he advised not to have one, as he said that an erection would have to be induced which had side effects namely tissue damage from the induced erection. As he wouldn't operate on my case he said doing a scan would have no benefit as it would be academic what was the cause of the bend.

I'm a bit frustrated that I still don't know what the issue is for certain. The medical system don't seem to really care if you have mild curvature, their logic seems to be, if it isn't any problems with sex then don't worry about it. If it was congenital I would be happier as it would mean I was born with the condition and I hadn't inadvertently caused the condition through some injury in childhood etc. Something which I didn't understand in the consultation was the two possibilities Mr Muneer presented, 1) some fibrosis from trauma 2) some early mild peyronies, to my understanding are the same thing, or is there indeed some difference between the two?

Not sure whether I should go back to my GP now, insist on a scan, a poster previously said an ultrasound for plaques was done in a flaccid state, not erect ... if that is the case then an injection to induce an erection wouldn't be needed anyway. If there indeed is a risk of tissue damage with an induced erection it does give me concern about having an scan which may well be academic.