The Efficacy and Safety of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Therapy for the Treatment of Peyronie's Disease (A Report of 106 Cases): A Retrospective Study

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) for the treatment of Peyronie's disease (PD). Methods: To analyze the treatment effect of 106 PD patients, 56 patients treated with LIPUS as therapy group and 50 patients with oral L-carnitine and vitamin E as control group. 56 patients were treated with LIPUS three times per week for four consecutive weeks (12 times totally). Penile erectile pain, erectile function, the size of penile plaques, and penile curvature were assessed for all of these 106 PD patients before treatment and at 4- and 24-week follow-ups to evaluate the treatment effect. Erectile pain was assessed by visual analog scale (VAS), while erectile function using the International Index of Erectile Function scale (IIEF-5), and penile plaque size was measured by ultrasound. After alprostadil was injected into the penile body to induce a full erection, the penis was measured with a protractor at the maximum bending degree. Results: After 4-weeks follow-up, the VAS scores of the LIPUS group were significantly lower than the baseline (P<0.01), while no significant differences were found in the control group (P>0.05). After 24-weeks follow-up, the VAS scores of the control group reduced significantly but also were significantly higher than the LIPUS group (P<0.01). The IIEF-5 scores of the LIPUS group were significantly higher than the baseline (P<0.01). While the IIEF-5 scores of the control group showed no significant differences both after 4- and 24-weeks follow-up (P>0.05). The penile plaque size showed no significant differences after 4- and 24-weeks follow-up both in the LIPUS group and the control group (P>0.05). The penile curvature degrees showed a significant reduction after 4-weeks follow-up in LIPUS group (P<0.01). While the penile curvature degrees of the control group showed no significant differences both after 4- and 24-weeks follow-up (P>0.05). No complications, such as penile pain, hematoma, or skin ecchymosis, were observed during the entire process of LIPUS treatment, nor did they appear during follow-up. Conclusions: In patients with acute PD, LIPUS could relieve erectile pain and improve erectile dysfunction. Moreover, it appears not to reduce plaque size and not to have a clinically significant effect on penile curvature. Furthermore, LIPUS also shows a good safety profile during the management of PD and should be recommended for the clinical management of PD.