Editorial Comment to Tri-tubular penile fracture: A case of complete rupture of urethra and bilateral corpus cavernosa.

Penile fracture is a rare urological trauma caused by high‐energy blunt penile injury, such as striking a female partner’s perineum during sexual intercourse, accompanied by the rupture of the tunica albuginea of the corpora cavernosa. Patients often notice a rupture sound immediately after the injury, followed by rapid pain and penile deformation. Approximately two‐thirds of penile fractures occur on the proximal part of the penis (the so‐called penoscrotal junction), and 80% of ruptures are on the ventral side. A recent systematic review reported that bilateral rupture of the tunica albuginea of the corpus cavernosum occurs in 5–26% of penile fractures and is accompanied by urethral injury in 15% of the cases. In addition, the rupture of the bilateral penile cavernous tunica albuginea is more likely to be associated with urethral injury. Young et al. reported a case of complete rupture of the urethra and bilateral corpus cavernosa, which could be the most severe type of penile fracture. The gold standard management for penile fractures is immediate surgical repair. The ruptured tunica should be closed with interrupted absorbable sutures via circumcising or a penoscrotal midline incision. An accompanying urethral injury should also be repaired immediately by tension‐free anastomotic urethroplasty, which is a common procedure for short bulbar urethral strictures. The case of a tri‐tubular penile fracture presented here was treated successfully by immediate reconstruction and achieved an excellent functional outcome.

This case report suggests an ideal treatment for a severe penile fracture, and general urologists should be aware of this treatment strategy.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.