Peyronie's disease is a fibrotic disorder of the tunica albuginea that causes penile curvature and sexual dysfunction. Plication surgery is a standard treatment for men with preserved erectile function; however, non-absorbable sutures may lead to palpable and bothersome nodules.
The aim of the study was to compare surgical and patient-reported outcomes between absorbable and non-absorbable sutures in penile plication surgery.
This retrospective study included 48 patients who underwent plication surgery between 2013 and 2023 and completed long-term follow-up. Twenty-nine (60.4%) received absorbable sutures and 19 (39.6%) non-absorbable sutures. Mean follow-up was 8.4 ± 2.9 vs. 4.0 ± 1.2 years (p < 0.001). Primary outcomes were surgical success (no residual curvature) and bothersome nodularity, both self-reported. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression identified predictors of these outcomes.
Surgical success rates were comparable (62.1% vs. 63.2%; p = 0.94). Bothersome nodularity was significantly less frequent with absorbable sutures (6.8% vs. 36.8%; p = 0.02). On multivariable analysis, non-absorbable sutures remained the strongest predictor of bothersome nodularity (adjusted OR 18.0; 95% CI 1.36-642; p = 0.057), while no independent predictors of surgical success were identified.
Absorbable sutures reduce bothersome nodularity without compromising surgical outcomes, suggesting improved postoperative comfort with comparable efficacy.
Urologia internationalis. 2026 Feb 09 [Epub ahead of print]
Etan Eigner, Nicola Fazaa, Ameer Nsair, Melissa Atallah, Valentin Shabataev, Sergiu Bistritchi, Ariel Zisman
Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel, ., Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel., The Department of Urology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.