Priapism Treatment in Dubai
Priapism is a prolonged and potentially painful erection and needs to be treated immediately to reduce the risk of side effects. Priapism treatment in Dubai at Yugen Care involves the use of state of the art diagnostic equipment coupled with accurate treatment regimes aimed at addressing the condition. The urology doctors at our center are well-equipped to handle both ischemic and non-ischemic types of priapism, depending on the individual case. We consider the sexual health of the patient as a crucial factor in the treatment of the condition, as well as focusing on the causes of the disease. Taking a patient-centric approach, Yugen Care provides medical and nursing care services in a private and comfortable environment. You can now find comfort and ease your anxiety with our priapism treatment services offered in our center.
Priapism is a painful erection that lasts for several hours. It develops when blood remains in your penis and can’t drain. It can occur without cause, or it may result from an underlying condition, nonmedical use of medications or injury. It requires immediate medical treatment to prevent permanent damage to penis.
What is priapism?
Priapism is a long-lasting erection that occurs without sexual arousal or stimulation. It’s usually painful and it can last for more than four hours. It occurs when blood remains in your penis and can’t drain.
Priapism needs immediate treatment. Without treatment, it can cause permanent damage.
What are the types of priapism?
The types of priapism include:
Low-flow (ischemic) priapism. Low-flow priapism occurs when blood remains in the erection chambers (corpora cavernosa) and can’t escape. It often occurs without a known cause in people without preexisting conditions, but it also affects people with sickle cell disease, blood cancer (leukemia) or malaria. It’s the most common type of priapism.
Recurrent (stuttering) priapism. Stuttering priapism is a type of low-flow priapism. A long-lasting erection may repeatedly go away and come back. It may last longer and grow more painful each time it comes back.
High-flow (non-ischemic) priapism. High-flow priapism is rarer than low-flow priapism and is usually not painful. Causes may include an injury to your penis or the area between your scrotum and anus (perineum). The injury causes uncontrolled blood flow into the penile tissues, causing a long-lasting erection.
How common is priapism?
Priapism is relatively rare overall, but you may be more likely to have it if you have certain conditions. It occurs in 30% to 45% of people with sickle cell disease.
Symptoms and Causes
What are the symptoms of priapism?
The main symptom of priapism is a prolonged erection, usually lasting longer than four hours without sexual arousal or stimulation. Other symptoms depend on the type of priapism.
If it is low-flow priapism, symptoms may also include:
- An erect shaft but a soft tip (glans).
- Pain that gets worse as time goes on.
If it is high-flow priapism, your symptoms may also include:
- An erection that isn’t completely stiff in your shaft.
- An erection that isn’t painful.
What is the main cause of priapism?
Up to 33% of all priapism cases don’t have a known cause.
Low-flow priapism causes may include an underlying health condition, including:
- Sickle cell disease.
- Blood cancer (leukemia).
- Black widow spider bites.
- Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
- Penile cancer.
- An injury to your spinal cord or genital area.
Other priapism causes may include recreational drug use (marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamines) and use or nonmedical use of certain medications, including:
- Erectile dysfunction medications (phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors and intra-cavernous injection therapy).
- Certain antidepression medications (trazodone).
- Certain antipsychotic (neuroleptic) medications (chlorpromazine).
Who does priapism affect?
Priapism can occur in anyone with a penis in all age groups, including (very rarely) newborns. However, it most commonly affects two different age groups:
- Children between the ages of 5 and 10.
- Adults between the ages of 20 and 50.
What are the complications of priapism?
Without treatment, priapism can permanently damage penis. The blood contains oxygen, which the cells in body use to create energy. If there is priapism, the trapped blood eventually runs out of oxygen, which can harm the tissues in penis.
Untreated priapism can cause:
- Scarring of the tissues inside the penis.
- Erectile dysfunction (ED).
Diagnosis and Tests
How is priapism diagnosed?
If the erection that lasts longer than a few hours, it’s important to get medical care immediately. A healthcare provider will review your medical history, note your symptoms, and conduct a physical examination. During the physical exam, they may ask the following questions:
- How long have you had an erection?
- How long do your erections usually last?
- Have you recently injured your penis or groin area?
- Are you currently taking any medications?
- Have you used any medications in a way a doctor didn’t prescribe?
- Have you used any recreational drugs?
What tests will be done to diagnose priapism?
After the physical exam, the provider will measure the blood oxygen level will be measured in penis. During this test, they’ll insert a small needle into penis to withdraw a tiny amount of blood. They’ll send the blood sample to a lab for analysis. The lab results will tell:
- What kind of priapism you have.
- How long you’ve had the priapism.
- How much damage the priapism has done to the tissues in penis.
If an injury causes priapism, they will order a Doppler ultrasound. A Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to show where and how fast blood flows through blood vessels. It helps confirm that an injury is the cause of priapism.
- Management and TreatmentHow does priapism will be treated?The goal of all priapism treatment is to make the erection go away and preserve the ability to have erections in the future.initially decongestants are given, such as phenylephrine. They can help decrease the erection by reducing blood flow to your penis. Decongestants are most effective within four to six hours after first developing priapism.
Other treatment options include:
- Draining excess blood from penis (aspiration). They’ll then use a small needle and syringe to withdraw oxygen-poor blood from the penis to reduce pressure and swelling. They may have to repeat this process a few times until your erection goes away.
- Injecting medications into your corpus cavernosum (intra-cavernous injection). They will use a small needle to inject medication (alpha-agonists) into penis. Alpha-agonists cause arteries to narrow. This reduces blood flow to penis and causes the swelling to decrease. Intra-cavernous injection treats low-flow priapism.
- Surgical ligation. If an injury causes an artery to rupture, a urologist can perform a procedure to surgically tie off (ligate) the injured artery and restore normal blood flow. Surgical ligation treats high-flow priapism.
- Surgical shunt. A urologist can create a channel (shunt) inside your penis to divert blood flow and allow circulation to return to normal. A surgical shunt treats low-flow priapism.