Penile calciphylaxis: a conservative approach

Abstract

Penile calciphylaxis or calcific uremic arteriolopathy is a rare urological condition often associated with patients undergoing renal dialysis for end-stage renal disease. The majority of cases are associated with systemic calciphylaxis. The pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of penile calciphylaxis as an individual entity has brought little attention. The rates of comorbidity and mortality of these patients are often particularly high. Early diagnosis and a multidisciplinary approach are therefore essential. We report a case of penile calciphylaxis in a 59-year-old man with end-stage renal failure on haemodialysis who was successfully managed conservatively.

Penile calciphylaxis diagnosis and treatment challenges a case report

“…Penile calciphylaxis is a very rare condition with around 50 cases reported in the literature [ [5] , [6] , [7] ]. In most of these cases, it is associated with systemic calciphylaxis [ 8 ].…”

“…It carries a very poor prognosis with less than 1-year survival rate [ 1 ]. Challenges in dealing with penile calciphylaxis start from the complexity of its pathophysiology which is multifactorial and poorly understood [ 3 , 4 ], its rarity [ 6 , 7 ], the systematic nature of this disease [ 1 ], and the high mortality which reaches 69% in the first 6 months [ 7 ] which make data in the literature about penile calciphylaxis limited to the few case reports published [ [5] , [6] , [7] ].…”

“…CT is sensitive to check for calcifications, and MRI to assess for spreading of ischemia [ 11 ]. Thus, until the time being published research about penile calciphylaxis rely mainly on clinical diagnosis [ 6 , 7 , 9 ]. Clinical diagnosis should be considered in an ESRD patient presented with agonizing pain and erythematous tender penile lesion which might be covered with black eschar [ 7 , 9 ].…”

“…Thus, until the time being published research about penile calciphylaxis rely mainly on clinical diagnosis [ 6 , 7 , 9 ]. Clinical diagnosis should be considered in an ESRD patient presented with agonizing pain and erythematous tender penile lesion which might be covered with black eschar [ 7 , 9 ]. Early diagnosis is essential to prevent delay or improper treatment as it might be aggravated by the introduction of corticoids if misdiagnosed as balanitis [ 6 ].…”

“…One of the rare areas to be affected by calciphylaxis is the penis [ 4 ] which could be explained by a penile rich vascular network [ 5 ]. Penile calciphylaxis is very rare with only about 50 reported cases in the literature [ [5] , [6] , [7] ]. We report a case of 65 years old male with penile calciphylaxis.…”