Priapism: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Priapism is a condition where you have painful and persistent erections. For erections you need to have proper and adequate blood flow to the erectile tissues. After the excitement ends, the blood again goes back to the arteries where it came from and the erection goes away. However, in this condition, the erection lasts painfully more than four hours and it may occur without any sexual arousal (it can be involuntary in nature). There are two type of Priapism. The first type is low-flow or ischemic priapism where the blood gets stuck in the erectile chambers of your penis which are caused by diseases such as sickle cell anemia, malaria or leukemia. If this condition is left untreated then it might lead you to have permanent erectile dysfunction. The second type is known as high-flow or non-ischemic priapism where you experience less pain. This type of condition happens when you face any injury to the penis or in the area between your scrotum and the anus. The injury ruptures the arteries that help to transport the blood to the erectile tissues. Other causes of priapism include an injury to the spinal cord of the genital area and you can also develop this condition if you have a scorpion sting or a black widow spider bite.

First the doctor analyses the situation of this condition. The doctor finds out for how long the erection lasts, any drugs used for the erection and whether you are facing the problem after an injury or not. There will be various blood tests and an imaging test as well which is known as Doppler ultrasound which determines the rate and quantity of blood that is flowing in your penis. The goal of the treatment procedure of this condition involves making the erection go away. The options of the treatment involve application of ice packs which eliminates the swelling of high flow priapism. The doctor might remove the blood from your penis by making the penis numb where the blood is drained through a needle to ease the pressure and the swelling in the affected area. In cases of low flow priapism the doctor will prescribe you some medicines that will make the blood vessels in your penis narrow and prevents excess blood flow into your penis and in return makes the erection go away. Sometimes these pills are prescribed instead of injections. The doctor might use the process of arterial embolization where the blood flow is blocked from entering the erectile tissues which are commonly used for high flow priapism. Sometimes surgery might be required to cure this condition. If due to any injury you experience the symptoms of priapism then surgeries are required to fix the ruptured arteries in your genitals.

If you have a voluntary or involuntary erection that lasts for more than four hours and causes you pain then you should seek medical help as you might have the condition of priapism.

If you have some hormonal disorders or testicular diseases then you are not eligible for this kind of treatment.

The side effects for the treatment course of priapism include a numbness of your penis when you are required to take injections in the affected area.

The post treatment guidelines are to avoid the use of sexual drugs that affects you adversely. You should also be cautious and not face any injury in your genital area. If you face any problems regarding your sexual productivity then you should seek help of your medical expert.

This condition is easily recovered once you seek immediate medical help. If you seek medical help immediately then the involuntary erection goes away within one hour. If it is left untreated then you can face permanent erectile dysfunction.

The injections range from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2,500 depending on your condition. The medicines usually range from Rs. 300 to Rs. 1,000. If you require a surgery then the cost depends on your healthcare provider which range from Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 20,000.

The results of the treatment are permanent only if you do not face any further injury in your genital area and when you stop using sexual drugs that adversely affect you.