Rupture of Dorsal Vein Mimicking Penile Fracture: a Case Series Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Penile fracture is a rare and traumatic emergency in andrology. Immediate surgical repair is widely accepted as the therapy of choice in penile fracture. But some situations mimic penile fracture such as superficial dorsal vein rupture. There are few cases reported in the literature. Aim: To present a case series of injuries of the penile dorsal vein that occurred during sexual intercourse. Methods: A 48-year-old and 45-year-old patients both received in emergency for suspected penile fracture after one hour of vigorous sexual intercourse, the clinical examination and ultrasound were performed and the penile fracture was suspected. Surgical management in an emergency was indicated. Results: Per-operative diagnosis was a dorsal vein injury. The surgical management which consisted of early exploration, evacuation of hematoma, and ligation of the bleeding vessel in this case was good with preserving erectile function after surgery, without abnormal curvature erection. Conclusions: Vascular injuries of the penis can mimic perfectly penile fractures. The medical history and clinical examination can lead to prompted exploration for suspected penile fracture. The ultrasound exploration can be limited for detection of penile vascular injury and final surgical exploration offers final diagnosis and repairment of the trauma. Clinical evolution is favorable, without painful nocturnal erections or deviation of the penis or hypoesthesia of the glans.