Kurbatov Dmitry Gennadievich
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Thickening Elongation Peyronie's Disease Penile Prosthesis Reconstruction

Peyronie's Disease: Surgical Correction of Penile Curvature

Peyronie's disease is a fibrous plaque in the tunica albuginea of the cavernous bodies. The plaque does not stretch during erection, so the penis bends towards it, may shorten and change shape. In some cases erection becomes painful or insufficient for intercourse.

Conservative treatment does not remove an established plaque. When curvature makes intercourse difficult and the process has stabilised, the deformity is corrected surgically. Professor Kurbatov selects the technique after examination, assessment of the curvature angle and of erectile function.

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At a glance

When to operate
after the process has stabilised: the pain is gone and the curvature angle has not changed for several months
Techniques
plication corporoplasty; incision or excision of the plaque with grafting; with erectile dysfunction — penile prosthesis with corporoplasty
Length
plication shortens the organ along the longer side; when length is the priority, grafting is considered
After surgery
follow-up visits: the surgeon checks healing and the shape of the penis in erection
Choice of technique
after an in-person examination: the angle, the plaque and erectile function matter

The exact treatment plan is determined by the surgeon at an in-person consultation.

Professor Dmitry Kurbatov, urologist-andrologist

The surgery is performed by

Professor Dmitry Gennadievich Kurbatov

Doctor of Medical Sciences, urologist-andrologist, specialist in reconstructive genital surgery

“Penile curvature is corrected surgically, but the timing matters as much as the technique: operating during the active phase of the disease means operating on a process that is still changing. The technique is chosen after the curvature has stabilised — based on its angle, the length of the organ and the state of erectile function.”

35+ years of practice
250+ scientific publications
13 monographs
10 patents
Learn more about the doctor

What Happens in Peyronie's Disease

The cause is scar tissue forming in the membrane that surrounds the cavernous bodies.

How the Plaque Forms

Repeated microtrauma during intercourse triggers inflammation in the tunica albuginea. In predisposed men the tissue heals with a scar instead of restoring its elasticity.

Why the Penis Bends

During erection healthy tissue stretches while the plaque does not. The organ bends towards the plaque; the difference in length may also reduce the overall size.

What It Affects

Pain during erection, difficulty or impossibility of intercourse, shortening of the organ. Erectile dysfunction may develop alongside the curvature.

Two Stages of the Disease

The stage determines whether surgery is possible now or should be postponed.

Active Stage

The plaque is still forming: pain during erection is possible, the curvature angle changes over weeks and months. Surgery in this period risks operating on a deformity that will continue to change, so treatment is aimed at the inflammation and the patient is observed until the process stabilises.

Stable Stage

Pain is gone, the plaque and the curvature angle have not changed for several months. This is when surgical correction is planned: the result is predictable because the deformity is fixed.

How the Diagnosis Is Made

The examination answers three questions: where the plaque is, what the curvature angle is, and how erectile function is doing.

Examination and History

The plaque is usually palpable. The doctor establishes when the curvature appeared, whether it is progressing and whether erection is painful.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound shows the size and location of the plaque and the presence of calcification; a doppler study assesses blood flow in the cavernous bodies.

Measuring the Curvature

The angle is measured during an erection — induced in the clinic or documented by the patient's own photographs taken from several angles.

Surgical Techniques

The choice depends on the curvature angle, the length of the organ and whether erectile function is preserved. The decision is made after examination.

Plication Corporoplasty

The tunica albuginea is shortened on the side opposite the plaque with a row of sutures, which straightens the organ. The plaque itself is not removed. Applied to moderate curvature with preserved length; the organ becomes somewhat shorter.

Plaque Surgery with Grafting

The plaque is incised or excised, and the resulting defect in the tunica albuginea is covered with a graft. Applied to pronounced curvature and to cases where length must be preserved. Technically more demanding than plication.

Prosthesis with Corporoplasty

When the curvature is accompanied by erectile dysfunction that does not respond to treatment, a penile prosthesis is implanted and the deformity is corrected by corporoplasty during the same operation.

About prosthesis surgery

The Operation and Recovery

The operation is performed under anaesthesia selected together with the anaesthesiologist. Access is through an incision at the base of the penis or a circular incision around the glans; during surgery an artificial erection is induced to check that the organ has been straightened.

Hospital stay is short. After discharge there is a period of restrictions: physical activity, sexual activity and the timing of the return to a normal rhythm are discussed individually — they depend on the technique used and on how healing proceeds.

Follow-up appointments are needed after surgery: the surgeon assesses the healing of the sutures and the shape of the organ during erection.

Risks and What to Expect

Correcting Peyronie's disease is reconstructive, not aesthetic surgery: the goal is a straight organ suitable for intercourse.

Shortening

Plication shortens the organ on the longer side. How noticeable this will be is discussed before surgery, based on the measurements taken.

Sensitivity

Temporary changes in sensitivity of the glans and skin are possible after surgery on the tunica albuginea.

Residual Curvature

With pronounced deformity a slight residual bend may remain. It is considered acceptable if it does not interfere with intercourse.

Erectile Function

Surgery does not improve erection. If erectile dysfunction is already present, the plan is discussed separately — including the option of a prosthesis.

Where the Surgery Is Performed

Professor Kurbatov consults at various clinics in Moscow, but most often operates at SM-Clinic and Maka-Med Clinic.

"SM-Clinic" on Leningradsky Prospect

Address: 37/12 Leningradsky Prospect, Moscow

Metro: Aeroport, Petrovsky Park, Dynamo

Reception phone: +7 (495) 777-48-49

Consultation hours: Monday and Thursday 16:00–18:00

Parking: paid

Professor's "Maka-Med Clinic"

Address: 33/2 Klary Tsyetkina St, Moscow

Metro: Baltiyskaya, Voykovskaya, Koptevo

Website: makamed.ru

Reception phone: +7 (925) 589-49-62, +7 (495) 450-10-51

Consultation hours: any day of the week by appointment

Parking: free

Related operations

All operations compared

Penile Prosthesis

Implantation when erection cannot be restored with medication; semi-rigid and hydraulic models.

Penis Elongation

Modified ligamentotomy and other elongation techniques: 1.5–3 cm, flaccid and erect.

Questions and Answers

Can Peyronie's disease be cured without surgery?

Conservative treatment of Peyronie's disease is used in the active stage: it is aimed at the inflammation and at slowing down the process.

An established plaque and the curvature it causes are not removed by medication — a fixed deformity is corrected surgically.

When can surgery for Peyronie's disease be performed?

Surgery for Peyronie's disease is performed after the process has stabilised: the pain is gone and the curvature angle has not changed for several months.

Operating during the active stage means correcting a deformity that will continue to change.

Will the penis become shorter after surgery for Peyronie's disease?

Plication shortens the organ along the longer side — this is the trade-off of the technique.

When preserving length is the priority, grafting is considered. The expected change is discussed before surgery, based on measurements.

What if there is erectile dysfunction as well as the curvature?

Penile straightening surgery does not improve erection.

When erectile dysfunction does not respond to treatment, implantation of a penile prosthesis combined with corporoplasty is discussed: the organ is straightened during the same operation.

Is the plaque removed during surgery for Peyronie's disease?

Not always: with plication the plaque is left in place and the tunica albuginea is shortened on the opposite side.

The plaque is incised or excised when the curvature is pronounced — the defect is then covered with a graft.

Can the curvature come back after surgery for Peyronie's disease?

Recurrence of the curvature is possible, especially if surgery was performed before the process stabilised.

This is why the disease is first observed until it is stable, and only then operated on.

What examination is needed before surgery for Peyronie's disease?

Before surgery for Peyronie's disease: examination by the surgeon, ultrasound of the penis, assessment of the curvature angle during erection and of erectile function, plus the standard preoperative work-up.

The list is finalised at the consultation.

Book a Consultation

Correction of curvature is planned after an in-person examination: the angle, the state of the plaque and erectile function all affect the choice of technique.
After booking, the administrator will contact you for confirmation.

Or write to Professor Kurbatov by email:

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Penis Elongation

Modified ligamentotomy and other techniques by Professor Kurbatov.

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