Is Priapism Really A Surgical Emergency?

Fifty-six (56) patients with 60 episodes of priapism treated surgically over a 14 year period were studied. The aim was to determine whether this condition is a surgical emergency or not. The mean age of the patients was 23.6+8.7 years. All the patients who had their priapism relieved within 24 hours (one day) of onset were potent post-operatively while 94% of those treated within two days of onset retained their potency. The potency rate was found to decrease with increasing duration of priapism before treatment. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the potency rates of those treated within two days and those treated between two and four days (x2 = 1.42). Also the difference in potency rate of those treated between two and four days; and four and six days was not statistically significant (x2 = 0.45). A control trial with a larger series is needed to confirm these findings. Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol.9, No.3 (1999) pp. 186-18