ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Over the years, scattered cases of acquired penile girth increase have been published with different terms, the common clinical feature being a mechanically hampered penetration. AIM: To search for all published cases of acquired penile girth increase, and to propose a geometrically-based reduction corporoplasty. METHODS: A case of acquired penile bilateral albuginea herniation prompted us to a PubMed, EMBASE and Google Scholar literature review from 1970 to 2021, in search for similar conditions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: We identified 7 cases of acquired penile girth increase; the geometric approach used to surgically correct bilateral corporal herniation proved successful in our case. RESULTS: In 5 of the 7 cases of acquired penile girth increase, priapistic episodes were deemed the causal factor; in the remaining 2 and in ours, a clear etiology could not be identified. CONCLUSION: "Circumferential acquired macropenis" describes the unusual syndrome of acquired penile girth increase, that encompasses 2 distinct etiologies: post-priapistic cases, characterized by penile girth increase both in flaccidity and erection, and idiopathic cases, characterized by girth increase in erection only, and at surgery by a thinned albuginea in the affected area. Pescatori ES, Drei B, Rabito S Circumferential Acquired Macropenis: Definition, Literature Review and Proposal of Geometrically-Based Reduction Corporoplasty. Sex Med 2022;10:100460.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects on human spermatozoa of freeze-drying, also known as lyophilization, and of cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen. DESIGN: Prospective experimental study. SETTING: Reproductive medicine unit and a private IVF center. PATIENT(S): Thirty healthy male donors. INTERVENTION(S): Sperm samples from 30 donors divided as two aliquots, one to be lyophilized and the other to be cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Assessment of count, motility, morphology, viability, DNA integrity, chromosomal status, and birefringence properties of lyophilized and cryopreserved human spermatozoa compared with the same parameters in the fresh sample. RESULT(S): Although sperm viability and motility were totally compromised after freeze-drying, the sperm chromatin structure was not altered in comparison with fresh samples, which demonstrated that the procedure did not affect DNA integrity. The sperm-head inner protoplasmic structures were also preserved, which was estimated by assessing the corresponding birefringence characteristics. After cryopreservation with liquid nitrogen, the motility, viability, and DNA integrity of spermatozoa were statistically significantly reduced compared with the fresh samples; the proportion of sperm cells with abnormal head birefringence increased meaningfully. CONCLUSION(S): The process of freeze-drying deeply damages cell membranes; however, unlike with liquid nitrogen preservation, it does not affect DNA integrity.
