Repair of the penile suspensory ligament for congenital and acquired pathology

Suspension of the penis - dissection, anatomical description and highlighting of anatomical risks in sectioning the suspensory ligaments

BACKGROUND

The suspension of the penis is provided by two ligaments: fundiform and suspensory. These ligaments are sectioned during some augmentative surgical procedures. The structure, the relations and the variability of these ligaments have been demonstrated. The penile neurovascular bundle and its relationships have also been emphasized. A clear knowledge of these details should ensure a reduction of the risk of surgical injury during augmentation procedures.

RESULTS

We dissected the ligaments providing the suspension of the penis in 7 formalized corpses. We identified, for each of the ligaments, the origin, the insertion and the relations. The dissection pieces were photographed and the images obtained were discussed upon. We described the variability of the anatomical distribution and highlighted the relations with the vascular and nervous structures for each of these ligaments. The anatomical variability of the fascia and the relations with the base of the penis were also emphasized. For the suspensory ligament, we identified three groups of fibers through which it is attached to the penile body.

CONCLUSIONS

The dissections were conducted in layers, corresponding to the operative steps for the penile augmentation procedures. We believe that our study highlights the anatomical basis necessary to safely perform these surgeries. The study contributes to the description of the anatomical variability of the ligaments and logically presents details that contribute to preventing most surgical incidents.

Identifying hub genes, key pathways and key immune-related genes in Peyronie's disease by integrated bioinformatic analysis

Scarring diseases, such as Peyronie's disease (PD), usually lead to disorders in the immune system. Previous studies suggested that the PD process was regulated by immune signaling. However, the pathogenetic mechanism remains incompletely characterized. This article used bioinformatic approaches to identify hub genes, key pathways and key immune-related genes that play essential roles in PD pathogenesis. Two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets, GSE126005 and GSE146500, were used to analyse the transcriptional profiling in both PD and normal samples. R software was applied to examine the difference in the expression of hub genes and key immune-related genes. The candidates for hub genes were further validated through protein-protein interactions (PPIs), gene correlation, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. In addition, candidate miRNA‒mRNA pairs were functionally assessed. A total of 39 candidate genes were identified, the expression levels of which in PD fibroblast cells were different from those in normal cells (16 showed reduced expression in PD and 21 candidates overexpressed in PD). We found that these genes could interact with each other through PPI analysis. According to the functional enrichment analysis, the candidates may regulate some major biological processes, including cytokine‒cytokine receptor interactions and the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. IL6, IL21R, IFNE, CXCL2, EGF, and ANGPTL5 were identified as key immune-related genes. The findings may help understand the role of immunologic contributors in PD, thus shedding light on the development of more effective strategies to prevent and treat this kind of disease.

Using two “V” shaped flaps in penile torsion treatment

Introduction:

Penile torsion is a congenital malformation that causes a rotational deformity of the penile shaft. Several techniques have been considered for penile torsion repair. In this study, we described our experience using two separate “V” dartos flaps, which leads to a more satisfying result.

Patient and methods:

Two young men with severe penile torsion aged 24 and 28 years old were candidates for surgery. During our novel method for penile torsion repair, we degloved the penis and dissected the dartos fascia from the penis shaft, then cut it distally from the sub-coronal region with a longitudinal cut to make two dartos flaps in a “V” shape. With these two flaps, we corrected penile torsion in a more satisfying way without crossing the urethra.

Results:

Penile torsion and concurrent chordee were completely corrected after surgery. Urine culture was sterile and uroflowmetry indicated a maximal urinary flow of 12 ml/s 3 months after the operation. Both patients were satisfied with ejaculation and their follow-up indicated complete resolution of penile torsion.

Conclusions:

Penile torsion is a challenging congenital anomaly. We used a two “V” shaped flap passage method to complete penile rotation and chordee correction without performing any plication techniques. Our penile torsion correction procedure resulted in the successful repair of torsion and excellent outcomes.

Level of evidence:

Not applicable for this multicenter audit.

Partial tear of penile suspensory ligament on magnetic resonance imaging: A case report

A 37-year-old man presented with pain and abnormal erectile angle following trauma during sexual intercourse. A diagnosis of partial tear of penile suspensory ligament (PSL) was made on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Conservative management of the tear was failed and the patient remained symptomatic. Persistent abnormal erectile angle and MRI findings necessitated surgical repair which resulted in a favorable outcome and patient satisfaction.