A new study shows that a surgical treatment can be effective for treating Peyronie's disease, a disorder that leads to scarring and shortening of the penis.

After undergoing surgery involving a "sliding technique" and penile prosthesis implantation, 28 patients experienced an average penile lengthening of 3.2 cm. In questionnaires relating to erectile dysfunction, scores improved significantly at various times points after surgery, indicating improvements in function. The study is the first multi-center prospective study on the surgical technique.

"The sliding technique is also currently under study as applied to conditions other than Peyronie's, with early promising results," said the University of Turin's Dr. Marco Falcone, co-author of the BJU International study.

Study: A prospective multicentric international study on the surgical outcomes and patients' satisfaction rates of the 'sliding' technique for end-stage Peyronie's disease with severe shortening of the penis and erectile dysfunction, Rolle, L., Falcone, M., Ceruti, C., Timpano, M., Sedigh, O., Ralph, D. J., Kuehhas, F., Oderda, M., Preto, M., Sibona, M., Gillo, A., Garaffa, G., Gontero, P. and Frea, B., BJU International, doi: 10.1111/bju.13371, published online 21 December 2015.