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Therapy insight: priapism associated with hematologic dyscrasias

Nature Clinical Practice Urology volume 2, pages 449–456 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Priapism is defined as a genuine erectile disorder, in which erection persists uncontrollably without sexual purpose. This disorder is often overlooked in comparison to other male sexual dysfunctions, principally because of its seeming rarity. Priapism, however, occurs frequently in certain patient populations, including those with hematologic dyscrasias. Most commonly, priapism affects patients with sickle cell disease. The reported prevalence rate in this group ranges between 29% and 42% of males. The significance of priapism is further emphasized by the fact that this disorder commonly causes erectile tissue damage and leads to the loss of functional erections. These observations highlight the need for proper clinical recognition of priapism in order to enable appropriate management. Here, the current knowledge of priapism as it relates to hematologic and coagulative diseases is discussed, with a focus on the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder.

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Figure 1: Treatment algorithm for priapism.
Figure 2: Surgical shunts for the treatment of priapism.

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  1. Professor in the Department of Urology, The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, and Director of the Basic Science Laboratory in Neuro-urology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Arthur L Burnett

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  1. Arthur L Burnett
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Correspondence to Arthur L Burnett.

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Burnett, A. Therapy insight: priapism associated with hematologic dyscrasias. Nat Rev Urol 2, 449–456 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpuro0277

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