Priapism

Priapism is a prolonged erection that will not go down on its own. These erections may last from hours to days, but you should seek medical attention if it has not gone down after 4 hours.

The leading cause of priapism is the dysregulation of neurological control or abnormal blood or blood vessels. In addition, the use of certain medications or drugs may also lead to priapism.

Priapism can be classified into 2 main categories; ischemic and non-ischemic.

Ischemic priapism happens when blood cannot drain from an erect penis. The lack of oxygenated blood flowing into the penis results in permanent structural changes in the erectile tissue. This lack of blood flow causes tissue death and scarring. Irreversible damage can begin in as little as 6-8 hours of ischemic priapism, so you must seek medical attention as quickly as possible.

Non-ischemic priapism happens when blood cannot properly flow into a penis. This differs from ischemic priapism in that the blood is oxygenated and does not get trapped within the erectile tissue.

Proper categorisation is essential, as the management of the two conditions is very different, especially as ischemic priapism is considered a urologic emergency, while nonischemic is not.