Microstructural disorders of tunica albuginea in patients affected by Peyronie's disease with or without erection dysfunction.

Peyronie's disease, the etiology of which remains unknown, is characterized by a focal or multifocal disorder of penile tunica albuginea. An excessive collagen deposition gives rise to the formation of the plaque, which is fibrotic first and then becomes calcific. Typical symptoms of the disease are painful erection, pathological bending of the erect penis and impotence at the more advanced stages (43% of the cases). There is evidence that the tunica albuginea has a fundamental role in the erection mechanism. We evaluated the tunica albuginea of patients suffering from Peyronie's disease, with or without impotence, and found progressive disorders of the microstructure in areas that were not affected by fibrocalcific formations. There was a significant decrease (p < 0.0001) of elastic fiber concentration (55.05 +/- 23.83 per high power field) in patients with Peyronie's disease compared to the concentration in the tunica albuginea of a control group (128.50 +/- 11.79 per high power field). Moreover, when the elastic fiber concentration in the tunica albuginea of patients Peyronie's disease and normal erection (71.36 +/- 12.00 per high power field) was compared to the concentration in the tunica albuginea of those with Peyronie's disease and impotence (33.14 +/- 4.84 per high power field) a significant difference was noted (p < 0.0001).