I am a sixty-four year old white male living in the United Kingdom, six foot tall, twelve and a half stone in weight and I consider myself to be in good health. I am not on any medication; I exercise regularly, sleep well, eat healthily and had a good sex-life with my partner. At the end of March 2013 I was diagnosed with Peyronie’s Disease. I have been offered a course of ESWT (Extracorporeal shock wave therapy). My question: This procedure ESWT, how effective is it in treating Peyronie’s Disease, is it too early to do this procedure as it is only been six/seven months since the disease first started and how safe is the ESWT procedure? Many thanks for all the information the association has published, it has helped me enormously to come to terms with the disease.

There are now 3 published, well performed, placebo-controlled trials examining the benefits of ESWT for Peyronie’s, none of them have shown any benefit with respect to penile deformity, although some have suggested quicker reduction of pain. Realize though, that pain will typically resolve on its own. There is some suggestion that ESWT may improve sexual function, or prevent progression of deformity, but this evidence is weak. Overall, it is the general consensus of the medical societies who have consulted on Peyronie’s disease that ESWT at this time is not a procedure that is likely to result in benefit and therefore this reviewer would not recommend using that form of treatment. If indeed, your deformity is not significant, it may be worthwhile to consider oral therapy with pentoxifylline and L-arginine, and/or injection therapy with verapamil or interferon, and finally, use of a traction device.