Evaluation of epidemiology, concomitant urethral disruption and seasonal variation of penile fracture: A report of 86 cases.

Abstract

Introduction: Penile fracture (PF) is a well-recognized clinical entity and is often deemed a urological emergency. It is not uncommon in our region. The main objective of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with penile fracture in the Qom Province, Iran. We evaluate surgical treatment, concomitant urethral disruption and its seasonal variation.Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective study, reviewing all the medical records of patients admitted with penile fracture from 2003 to 2012 at Kamkar Hospital of Qom, Iran. It takes into account variables related to the urological history, etiology, diagnosis and its surgical treatment. The epidemiologic data, marriage status and the seasonal variation were evaluated. In total, 86 patients, aged between 17 and 62, with PF were hospitalized in our centre. The average age of patients was 36.74 years. All operated cases were followed 3 months and 6 months after surgery.Results: Of the 86 patients, 34 (68%) were the ages of 20 and 40. In terms of marital status, 56 (65%) were married and 30 (35%) were single at the time of presentation. Twenty-six patients (30.2%) had episodes related to intercourse and 48 patients (56%) to manual habitual trauma; the remaining 12 patients had a direct blow to an erect penis or rolled/fell off a bed. Patients presented with swelling, pain and a popping or cracking sound in the penis. The diagnosis was made using history and physical examination in all patients. Unilateral corporeal ruptures were present in 80 (93%) and bilateral in 2 cases (2.32%). Surgical repair was performed with a circumferential sub-coronal degloving incision in 82 cases (95.35%). There were seasonal variations: 22 cases in spring; 25 in summer; 17 in autumn; 22 in winter. Patients had an average postoperative hospital stay of 1 day.Conclusion: Habitual manual trauma was the most common cause of PF in our study. Immediate surgical intervention has low morbidity, short hospital stay and rapid functional recovery. In the case of urethrorhagia, concomitant urethral injury should be evaluated. On the basis of our study, PF may have seasonal variation.