Priapism Treatment

How can Priapism be Treated?

The erection in priapism can almost always be reduced with medication if the patient gets early treatment.

The goal for the treatment of priapism is to make the erection go away and to preserve future erectile function. Ice packs may help to reduce some of the swelling. Treatment options include-

Medication- The erection can almost always be reduced with decongestant medication if the patient gets treatment within four to six hours. These medications include drugs such as pseudoephedrine, which decrease blood flow to the penis and are very successful in treating early cases. Terbutaline has also been found to be effective in some cases.

Aspiration- Aspiration is done if the erection does not respond to medications. A needle is inserted and blood is aspirated from the penis to reduce pressure and swelling.

Intracavernous injection- Drugs like phenylephrine are injected into the penis, which cause the blood vessels to narrow, reducing blood flow to the penis and easing swelling to the area.

Surgical shunt- A shunt is inserted surgically into the penis to restore the blood circulation to normal. This is used for low-flow priapism.