Penile Fracture

penile fracture

One episode of "Grey's Anatomy" in which a doctor suffered a fractured penis
during intercourse with a colleague, pushed "penile fracture" to the top of the list of
most-searched terms on Google. [1]

In reality, this does happen. Researchers @ Sana'a University,Yemen, studied 30
patients presenting with penile fracture.

Hard manipulation of the erect penis for example during masturbation was the
most frequent mechanism of fracture in 53.3% of patients. Solitary tear was found
in 22 patients and bilateral corporal tears associated with urethral injury were found
in 2 patients. Corporal tears were sutured with synthetic absorbable sutures and
urethral injury was repaired primarily. All operated patients described full erection
with straight penis except 3 of the 8 patients who were managed by direct
longitudinal incision, in whom mild curvature during erection was observed. The
conservatively treated patients described satisfactory penile straightness and
erection. [2]

Penile fracture is an uncommon urological emergency with a typical presentation,
which needs early surgery to avoid aesthetic and functional sequelaes. [3]

Reference:

[1] Penile Fractures: More Than a Sex Myth on 'Grey's Anatomy' ABC News Jan.
23, 2009. [2] Ghilan AM, Al-Asbahi WA, Ghafour MA, Alwan MA, Al-Khanbashi
OM. Management of penile fractures. Saudi Med J. 2008 Oct;29(10):1443-7. [3]
Martínez RJ, Pastor Navarro H, Carrión López P, Giménez Bachs JM, Donate MM,
Virseda Rodríguez JA.Fracture of the penis: a case series Actas Urol Esp. 2008
Jun;32(6):599-602.