To assess postoperative patient-reported quality of life outcomes following surgical management of adult acquired buried penis (AABP). We hypothesize that surgical treatment of AABP results in improvements in urinary and sexual quality of life.
Patients that underwent surgical treatment of AABP were retrospectively identified. The Expanded Prostate Cancer Index (EPIC) questionnaire was completed at ≥ 3 months postoperatively, and completed retrospectively to define preoperative symptoms. EPIC is validated for local treatment of prostate cancer. Urinary and sexual domains were utilized. Questions are scored on a 5-point Likert scale with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Preoperative scores were compared to postoperative scores.
Sixteen patients completed pre- and post-operative questionnaires. Mean time from surgery to questionnaire was 12.6 months. There was a significant improvement in 10 of 12 urinary domain questions and 10 of 13 sexual domain questions. Fourteen of 16 patients (87.5%) reported significant improvement in overall sexual function (median score changed from 1.5 to 5, p<0.0001). Similarly, 14 of 16 patients (87.5%) reported significant improvement in overall urinary function (median score changed from 1 to 4, p<0.0001).
Adult acquired buried penis is a challenging condition to treat and often requires surgical intervention to improve hygiene and function. There is limited data on patient-reported quality of life outcomes. We found that surgical management of AABP results in significant improvements in both urinary and sexual quality of life outcomes.
Urology. 2018 Apr 03 [Epub ahead of print]
Katherine M Theisen, Thomas W Fuller, Paul Rusilko
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Electronic address: ., University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.