Peyronie’s disease surgery with Leriche method carries risk

The Leriche technique is a new surgical treatment of the stable phase of Peyronie’s disease.  At this time 10 cases are reported in the literature, and they were followed for only three months post-surgically.  While many more Leriche surgeries have taken place, primarily in France, they have not been reported in the literature for review. For this reason any man considering this technique must realize not much historical data has been collected to prove the effectiveness of this new procedure to reduce the curved penis of Peyronie’s disease, or evaluate for complications.  If a man wishes to volunteer to be one of the first for a new surgical approach, this would be that opportunity.

It is important to remember the Leriche technique is a different kind of penis surgery, but it is surgery nonetheless.  In all other Peyronie’s disease surgery techniques – like Nesbitt – there is ALWAYS more scarring that occurs as a result of surgical intervention.  In this new technique patients are operated on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia, after identification of the Peyronie’s plaque is made by ultrasound examination.  In the Leriche technique multiple tears (plication) of the PD plaque are made with an 18 gauge needle almost as though the surgeon was trying to shred the plaque, with the idea that it will be enlarged, spread out and flattened.

Leriche surgery by comparison to the Nesbit technique is minimally invasive, and solely for this reason might have a better range of outcomes. It is suggested following the Leriche surgery that the patient must engage in early and daily sexual activity for at least one month to obtain a good outcome.  Early reports suggest 30 percent of men who undergo the Leriche procedure are cured; however this opinion is based on limited post-surgical follow up of three months.  Another 50 percent gain sexual function after two or more additional Leriche surgeries.  For the 20 percent of men who do not respond well to the Leriche approach, the technique will not interfere with additional surgery or penile implant.

Time will tell how truly effective the Leriche technique is for correction of the Peyronie’s problem.

Penis surgery always carries risk

Most other types of Peyronie’s surgery are performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia, and can last up to two and a half hours. A second doctor, a plastic surgeon, may be needed when specialized grafting techniques are used. Surgery for Peyronie’s disease is a major event to a very sensitive part of the body with a large nerve supply, so there is never an easy walk in the park no matter what kind of surgery is performed.

Martin K. Gelbard, MD, world-renown Peyronie's disease expert, states, “Unfortunately, surgery does not offer a cure for Peyronie’s disease. The scarring in men with deformity severe and persistent enough to warrant an operation represents an irreversible loss of connective tissue elasticity. Though surgical restoration of sexual function can be both effective and reliable, potential candidates need to understand the compromise inherent in this approach.” Compromise means that after surgery some degree of the old problem and limitation usually remains, and new problems (more scarring, reduced sensation or numbness, new bends, more pain) will occur in spite of the best effort of the Peyronie’s disease surgeon.

Every surgical procedure has risk; none are totally safe or foolproof.   No Peyronie’s disease surgery can restore the penis to its former condition. Some surgery shortens the penis more than others. Some are more effective in straightening curvature. Every surgery carries the risk of less than perfect straightening, and sometimes the curvature is worse after corrective penile surgery because excess scar formation can occur from the trauma of surgery. Lastly, surgical side-effects are possible resulting in loss of rigidity (hardness) or inability to maintain an erection (impotence), due to permanent surgical alteration of blood flow in the penis, pain greater than before surgery, as well as permanent loss of sensation (numbness) that makes sexual pleasure a thing of the past.

Please keep this in mind:  You have PD because your body made a foreign scar in your penis as an over-reaction process – usually to some type of trauma.  Any surgery – like the Leriche technique – involves cutting holes into and tearing the internal tissue of the penis.  This kind of trauma often results in more scars in a man who has already shown he is capable of creating excess scar formation after any level of injury to the penis.

What will probably happen is that the researches will find 6-12-24 months after the Leriche surgery that men will develop more scars, like they do after other penis surgeries when done to men who already make too much scar material after injury, and the technique will fall out of favor.

Please ask a lot of questions and be very slow to submit to penile surgery if you already know you make more scar than the average man.  For this reason it might be worthwhile considering using a more conservative Peyronie’s disease natural treatment with Alternative medicine.