Acute management of priapism in men

OBJECTIVES: • To review the literature regarding ischaemic, non-ischaemic and stuttering priapism • To provide management recommendations PATIENTS AND METHODS: • A Medline search was carried out to identify all relevant papers with management guidelines for priapism. RESULTS: • Ischaemic priapism represents a compartment syndrome of the penis and urgent intervention is required to decrease the risk of erectile dysfunction. • Non-ischaemic priapism is not a medical emergency; however, it can result in erectile dysfunction. • The treatment objective for stuttering priapism is to reduce future episodes with systemic treatments, whilst treating each ischaemic episode as an emergency. CONCLUSIONS: • Priapism is a complex condition that requires expert care to prevent complications and irreversible erectile dysfunction.