Priapism

Description:

Priapism — contrast of impotence. Consists in the long, usually painful erection which is not connected with sexual excitement.

Priapism symptoms:

At a priapism the erection has permanent character and often is followed by painful feelings. The erection at a priapism differs from usual in the fact that:

    * it is not connected with sexual excitement;
    * blood fills only cavernous (cavernous) bodies of a penis, and the head remains soft;
    * blood pressure in a penis is usually higher therefore it is bent to a stomach.

The priapism results in stagnation of blood and inflammatory processes. Gangrene can develop.

Priapism reasons:

The reasons leading to a priapism are badly studied and represent a difficult complex of factors, however it is possible to allocate the main of them. Not ischemic priapism develops usually after penis injuries when isolation between the arteries and cavernous bodies passing in it is broken. Are the reasons of an ischemic priapism: inflammatory processes, an alcohol abuse or drugs (its emergence is frequent connect with the cocaine use), blood diseases (in particular, a sickemia), oncological diseases, side effect of drugs, complications of venereal diseases, injuries of a spinal cord. The pseudo-priapism represents temporary (usually night) erection and has no relation to a true priapism.

Treatment of the Priapism:

At early stages pseudoephedrine reception helps to facilitate priapism symptoms. In several hours after emergence of a priapism surgical shunting or a puncture under a local anesthesia usually is required.