With penile traction therapy, you wear a penile traction device for a set amount of time each day. The device may stretch the penis straight out, or it may stretch the penis in the direction that’s opposite of the curve. Image provided by the Mayo Clinic
Peyronie’s disease is a connective tissue disorder of the penis that can be likened to Dupuytren’s contracture of the hand. It is characterized by the triad of bent erections, pain in the penis with erections and palpable penile plaque. Peyronie’s disease is quite common, affecting as many as one in 11 men, despite the lack of public awareness. The penis is composed of the same connective tissue as every other joint in the body. The anatomy of the penis is composed of three cylinders: the paired erectile bodies and the urethra. The erectile bodies (corpora cavernosa) are made up of sinusoidal tissue that fills up with blood during an erection and an outer covering (tunica albuginea) composed of tough fibroelastic tissue. The outer covering determines the size and shape of the erection. Note: John Hopkin’s Medicine
Abstract
Purpose:
RestoreX is a novel penile traction therapy device, with randomized, controlled data demonstrating improvements in penile length and erectile function after 30 to 90 minutes of daily use in men with Peyronie’s disease. We sought to determine if similar improvements could be achieved post prostatectomy.
Materials and Methods:
Men post prostatectomy were randomly assigned to control or one of 2 penile traction therapy protocols for 6 months, followed by a 3-month open-label phase. The current study presents data from the randomized phase. The primary outcome was changes in stretched penile length; secondary outcomes were changes in International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores, adverse events, satisfaction and subjective measures.
Results:
In all, 82 men (mean age 58.6 years) were randomized, with 6-month data available in 25 controls and 30 penile traction therapy cases. At 6 months, penile traction therapy achieved greater improvements/preservation of penile length (+1.6 vs +0.3 cm, p <0.01), erectile function (IIEF-Erectile Function +0 vs −6.5, p=0.03), intercourse satisfaction (IIEF-Intercourse Satisfaction +1 vs −3.5, p <0.01) and overall sexual satisfaction (IIEF-Overall Sexual Satisfaction 0 vs −3, p <0.01). Erectogenic therapy use was lower in penile traction therapy men (phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors 86% vs 94%, p=0.44; intracavernosal injections 19% vs 50%, p <0.05). More penile traction therapy men reported satisfaction or improvement in penile length than controls. Adverse events were transient and mild; 87% would choose to repeat therapy, and 93% would recommend it to others.
Conclusions:
The use of a novel penile traction therapy device results in significant improvements in objective and subjective penile length post prostatectomy and measures of erectile function, intercourse satisfaction and overall sexual satisfaction. External validation is warranted.