Does surgery with animal grafts improves the outcomes of men with Peyronie’s disease?

This study compared the effectiveness of two different types of xenografts (transplant of a tissue or organ derived from an animal) in the treatment of Peyronie’s disease (PD). Researchers suggested that xenografts might be a good and safe treatment option for these patients.

PD is a disorder in which scar tissue, called plaque, forms under the skin of the penis. This results in a deformation of the penis during erection (when the penis gets rigid before sexual intercourse). This can cause pain and an inability to had normal intercourse. The treatment options include non-invasive therapies such as traction therapy, injections into the penis, and surgery. 

One type of surgery is cutting the plaques where the penis is bent and replacing them with another tissue. This is called plaque incision and grafting (PEG). Both human (allografts) or animal (xenografts) tissues have shown effectiveness in treating PD. However, it is not known which xenograft provides better outcomes during PEG.    

This study included 63 patients with PD who underwent PEG. Of these, 25 patients (group 1) received porcine skin grafts and 38 (group 2) received bovine heart grafts. Patient satisfaction and sexual activity were evaluated through questionnaires. The main outcomes measured were the correction of penile bending and sexual function. The average follow-up was 61 months.

73.7% of group 1 and 76.5% of group 2 had complete penis strengthening. 78.9% of group 1 and 79.4% of group 2 reported penis shortening after surgery.

The average size of scar tissue was 29 mm and was smaller in group 1 (27.5 mm) when compared to group 2 (31 mm). No differences were found in erectile dysfunction rates, penile shortening and straightening, sensitiveness, and complications.

Patients in group 2 (20.6%) were more likely to have penis nodules when compared to group 1 (0%). Sexual life satisfaction was similar between both groups. At follow-up, 84.9% of patients reported they would still undergo surgery and recommend it to a friend, with no significant difference between both groups.

This study concluded that PEG with both porcine and bovine xenografts seem to provide good outcomes for patients with Peyronie’s disease.

This study included a limited number of participants. Further studies with bigger populations are necessary.