Biopsy is contraindicated in the management of penile calciphylaxis.

INTRODUCTION: Calciphylaxis, a rare obliterative small vessel vasculopathy associated with diabetes mellitus (DM), end-stage renal disease (ESRD), portends a poor prognosis. Because penile involvement is rare, agreement on appropriate diagnosis and management is unclear. AIM: To determine the role and effect of penile biopsy for diagnosis and management of penile calciphylaxis. METHODS: Medical records of three penile calciphylaxis patients from our institution were evaluated. Data collected included age, history of DM, ESRD, and hemodialysis (HD) status, serum calcium (Ca), Ca × phosphorous product (C × P), parathyroid hormone (PTH), performance of biopsy, presence of non-penile cutaneous lesions, intervention, survival, and time from diagnosis to death. PubMed Search for relevant publications from 1995 to 2012 was performed to identify case reports of penile calciphylaxis that provided the same clinical data obtained from the 3 patients from our institution. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical evidence for outcomes in patients with penile calciphylaxis after biopsy of penile lesion compared to those without biopsy. RESULTS: A total of sixteen patients were identified in the literature and in our institution with clinical data of interest. Overall, 10/16 (62.5%) patients identified with penile calciphylaxis had a penile biopsy, and 7/10 (70%) experienced disease progression, while only 3/10 (30%) stabilized. Mean time to death in this patient population was short, approximately 6.5 months, regardless of type of intervention. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of our study, we argue that conservative measures should be employed as first line therapy for penile calciphylaxis. More importantly, secondary to likely resultant progression of necrosis, penile biopsy is not only unnecessary for diagnosis of penile calciphylaxis, but is also harmful and contraindicated.

Penile Calciphylaxis Obscured by Phimosis in an End-Stage Renal Disease Patient: A Case Report.

Penile calciphylaxis is a rare and severe complication primarily observed in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing dialysis. A 50-year-old man presented with severe penile pain and phimosis. He had a history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus for 10 years, complicated by ESRD and was awaiting a cadaveric kidney transplant. He was on cinacalcet therapy for tertiary hyperparathyroidism. The patient underwent circumcision at which discolouration and necrotic patches involving the glans penis were noted. The histological findings were consistent with calciphylaxis and suppurative inflammation. However, due to persistent severe pain and progressive gangrene, a partial penectomy was performed. This report demonstrates the importance of consideration of calciphylaxis in patients with ESRD when presenting with penile pain, even phimosis.

Surgical Management of Penile Calciphylaxis Without Penectomy.

Calciphylaxis, a rare and life-threatening condition, involves the calcification and occlusion of microvasculature, leading to tissue ischemia and necrosis. The pathophysiology of calciphylaxis remains complex, but it is often associated with derangements in calcium and phosphate metabolism, ultimately resulting in the deposition of calcium within small blood vessels. This process leads to compromised blood flow, tissue hypoxia, and subsequent skin necrosis and ulceration, often with catastrophic consequences. While calciphylaxis typically occurs in individuals with end-stage renal disease (uremic calciphylaxis), it can also afflict those without renal impairment (non-uremic calciphylaxis). Several risk factors predispose individuals to this condition, including diabetes mellitus, hyperparathyroidism, malignancies, warfarin-based anticoagulation, alcoholic liver disease, and autoimmune disorders. Understanding the etiology, risk factors, and clinical manifestations of calciphylaxis is critical for timely diagnosis and management to mitigate its devastating effects. Management includes sepsis control, wound debridement, and analgesic support.  We report a case of penile calciphylaxis in a 58-year old male with a past medical history significant for end stage renal disease on hemodialysis, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. The patient presented with a painful lesion on the glans penis which rapidly progressed to necrosis and gangrene with wet features. The patient refused partial penectomy and wanted conservative management with local wound debridement and antibiotics.

Penile Calciphylaxis: A Successfully Treated Case.

Penile calciphylaxis is a rare presentation of calcific uremic arteriolopathy and can be a life-threatening condition usually seen in patients with end-stage renal failure with hemodialysis. The clear etiopathogenesis of calciphylaxis is not fully understood, but it is postulated to be characterized by the accumulation of calcium in the microvessels of adipose tissue and skin, which leads to ischemia and necrosis, causing painful ulcerations, and could potentially be complicated by sepsis and mortality. End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is one of the major risk factors for penile calciphylaxis. In this report, we describe a case of a 53-year-old Hispanic male patient with ESRD and diabetes on hemodialysis, who presented with a five-day history of acute, severe, burning, non-radiating pain to the head of his penis associated with black discoloration. He was diagnosed with penile calciphylaxis and received a combination of conservative and surgical interventions, resulting in a highly positive outcome marked by complete healing of the scar without any reported complications.

Penile calciphylaxis with penoscrotal necrosis: A case report with literature review.

Penile calciphylaxis, also known as calcific uremic arteriolopathy is an uncommon condition of the penile vessels due to its extensive vascular network. The aim of this report is to report a very rare case of penile calciphylaxis with penoscrotal necrosis. A 54-year-old male patient presented with progressive penoscrotal necrosis within a duration of one month. He had a history of diabetes mellitus and stage 5 chronic kidney disease. Under spinal anesthesia, partial penectomy and excision of the necrotic scrotum were performed. Histopathological examination was consistent with calciphylaxis. Despite it is a rare occurrence, penile calciphylaxis should be included in the different diagnosis of any diabetic and end stage kidney disease patients who presented with penile pain.

A Fatal Case of Systemic Calciphylaxis in the Gastrointestinal Tract: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Calciphylaxis is an infrequent yet lethal disease often associated with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The most common sites include proximal and distal extremities and the trunk, with few reported in the penis and very few as gastrointestinal (GI) disease. We report a case of systemic calciphylaxis in a middle-aged male, presenting with a colostomy leak and parastomal abscess. Workup revealed severe calcification of the intestinal arteries and ischemic colon necrosis. The patient underwent colectomy, antibiotic therapy, regular hemodialysis (HD), and sodium thiosulphate infusion with clinical stability. Histopathology of the colon revealed ischemic necrosis and pericolonic vessel calcification suggestive of calciphylaxis. It is an important differential to be considered in patients with risk factors presenting with symptoms of gastrointestinal hemorrhage and necrosis with perforation.

Penectomy to manage penile gangrene caused by calciphylaxis, a case report.

Penile calciphylaxis is a condition associated with end stage renal disease that presents a diagnostic and management challenge. We present a case of a 43 year old male with end stage renal disease on dialysis who was managed by partial penectomy and survived 19 months post operatively. We discuss the available management options as well as the prognosis and outcomes of the condition while advocating for a patient tailored management plan.

Penile calciphylaxis in a patient with end-stage renal disease and chronic hemodialysis: a case report.

Penile calciphylaxis is a rare and highly morbid condition mainly affecting diabetic patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). It is characterized by ischemic skin ulceration and necrosis secondary to dystrophic calcification of the subcutaneous penile tissue and penile arterioles. We report a 52-year-old male with a 6-year history of diabetes mellitus and CRF on hemodialysis, who presented with a painful penile necrotic lesion in the last three weeks. He firstly treated with medical treatment, which was failed. Then underwent total penectomy. The histopathology result confirmed the diagnosis of penile calciphylaxis. Unfortunately, he passed away due to septic shock and multisystem organ failure ten days after surgery. In conclusion, the diagnosis of penile calciphylaxis must be evoked in the presence of any minimal necrotic penile lesion in a patient with CRF; this will initiate quick medical and/or minimally invasive surgical treatment to improve the patient's prognosis and avoid serious complications.

A Rare Presentation of Penile Calciphylaxis Requiring Partial Penectomy.

Calciphylaxis is a rare disease and carries high morbidity and mortality rates. It's characterized by microvascular calcification and occlusion, which leads to a life-threatening disease characterized by skin necrosis and ulceration. Calciphylaxis is classified as uremic, which occurs in patients with end-stage renal disease and who are non-uremic. Non-uremic calciphylaxis is an even rarer disease that occurs in patients without end-stage renal disease and has a high mortality rate secondary to sepsis. The most common risk factors are diabetes mellitus, hyperparathyroidism, malignant neoplasm, warfarin-based anticoagulation, alcoholic liver disease, and autoimmune disorders. The management includes wound debridement, pain management, and sepsis control. We report a case of penile calciphylaxis in a 36-year-old male with a 15-year history of type II diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. He presented with penile ulceration, which rapidly progressed to necrosis. He also had skin necrosis, characteristic of penile calciphylaxis. The patient has perished of multiorgan failure secondary to severe septic shock.

A Fatal Case of Penile Calciphylaxis.

Calciphylaxis is a rare and serious complication of chronic renal failure characterized by vascular calcium overload. It has a high mortality rate. Penile calciphylaxis is an extremely rare condition of penile necrosis due to calciphylaxis of the penile arterioles. Presented here is a severe case of systemic calciphylaxis initially presented as penile necrosis treated with sodium thiosulfate and amputation.

Management of chronic urinary retention in glanular penile calciphylaxis.

Urinary retention in penile calciphylaxis is a rare phenomenon due to its association with end-stage renal failure. A 48 year-old male was noted to have a lesion with necrotic appearances overlying his urethral meatus with increasing bladder volumes. He is on haemodialysis for end-stage renal failure and was being treated for infected calciphylaxis ulcers on his thigh. The current literature provides little guidance on managing urinary retention in this cohort of patients. We recommend that ultrasound-guided aspiration of the bladder should be performed in patients with glanular penile calciphylaxis who develop urinary retention as it offers a high safety profile.

Challenges management in penile calciphylaxis.

Calciphylaxis is a rare, life-threatening vascular disease, which predominantly affects patients with chronic renal failure treated by dialysis. Penile calciphylaxis is an extremely rare condition, a severe manifestation of calciphylaxis, which is associated with poor prognosis and high mortality rate. Diagnosis and management are challenging and still debatable. We present a case with penile calciphylaxis on whom an arterial bypass to the deep dorsal penile vein was performed. Although, in this case, the method was not permanently successful, the histology showed a cluster of neovascularization after the operation. Deep dorsal arterialization might be a proper technique in well-selected patients.

Penile calciphylaxis: A severe case managed with partial penectomy.

Penile calciphylaxis, a rare manifestation of calcific uremic arteriolopathy, is infrequently reported in the literature. Surgical management has demonstrated similar outcomes as conservative management in terms of mean survival time. Therefore, the benefits of surgical intervention for this disease remain controversial. In this report, we present a case of penile calciphylaxis in a hemodialysis-dependent patient with end stage renal disease (ESRD). The interest of this case lies in the severity of illness on initial presentation, which precluded the possibility of conservative management and necessitated penectomy as a means of halting disease progression and improving patient quality of life.

Penile calciphylaxis.

For small lesions, conservative management including local wound care, debridement, and adjustment of renal replacement therapy may suffice. Consulting palliative care is encouraged to help establish goals of care among patient, family, and medical team.

Penile calciphylaxis with extragenital gangrene.

Penile calciphylaxis is a rare cause of penile gangrene and is typically associated with multiple comorbidities, most commonly diabetes mellitus and hyperparathyroidism. It demonstrates a high mortality rate of 64% and is seen almost exclusively in patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. Underreporting of this disease likely occurs, contributing to a paucity of data and lack of formal therapeutic guidelines and approved treatments. Conflicting guidance exists regarding effective treatment strategies, with most formal literature existing in the form of case reports. Herein, we describe a 44-year-old man with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis who presented with a 2-month history of nonhealing wounds on his penis and lower extremities.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Improving Penile Calciphylaxis.

Calciphylaxis is a rare and poorly understood disease that almost exclusively occurs in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It is characterized by the calcification of medium and small dermal arterioles with resultant gangrenous necrosis. Patients develop exquisitely painful skin ulceration and necrosis, typically in the lower extremities. Treatments are severely limited, and mortality is high, as few treatment options provide a survival benefit. Improvement in a few calciphylaxis cases affecting the extremities or abdomen have been reported using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), however, very few have had a favorable response when it affected penile tissue. We present a case of a patient with ESRD on hemodialysis and subtotal parathyroidectomy who had biopsy-proven penile calciphylaxis with refractory pain who ultimately underwent successful HBOT.

Penile Calciphylaxis in a Patient with End-stage Renal Disease: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Penile calciphylaxis is a rare cause of penile gangrene that presents in patients with end-stage renal disease. The rates of comorbidity and mortality of penile calciphylaxis are extremely high. Unlike other penile gangrene, such as Fournier's gangrene, the benefit of aggressive surgical therapy is controversial. Here we present a case of penile calciphylaxis in a 43-year-old man with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. He received total penectomy but died due to multisystem complications 2 weeks after surgery. We review the literature on the management options and outcomes in patients with penile calciphylaxis.

Penile Calciphylaxis: The Use of Radiological Investigations in the Management of a Rare and Challenging Condition.

Penile calciphylaxis is a rare phenomenon of penile necrosis observed in patients with hemodialysis-dependent end-stage renal failure. Multiple treatments have been proposed including conservative management, surgical debridement and penectomy; yet, the prognosis remains extremely poor. Here, we describe a patient with protracted resolution of dry gangrene of the glans, which failed conservative management of wound care and pain management. Radiological studies revealed extensive calcification of abdominal aorta and branching vessels including the penile arteries. Due to intolerable pain, the patient required total penectomy. Earlier surgical intervention guided by findings on radiological studies may improve quality of life in this population.

Penile necrosis secondary to uremic calciphylaxis / Necrosis peneana secundaria a calcifilaxis urémica

Abstract The advanced stages of chronic kidney disease are associated with mineral and bone metabolism disorders, which increase the risk of serious complications such as uremic calciphylaxis. Below we present the case of a 65-year-old male patient with multiple comorbidities, including stage 5 chronic kidney disease with long-term hemodialysis treatment, who presented refractory secondary hyperparathyroidism complicated by penile necrosis secondary to uremic calciphylaxis. We believe this case may be useful in sensitizing the medical community on the seriousness of uremic calciphylaxis, emphasizing the importance of prevention and early diagnosis before complications such as necrosis occur. (Acta Med Colomb 2022; 47. DOI:https://doi.org/10.36104/amc.2022.2224).

Resumen Los estadios avanzados de la enfermedad renal crónica se asocian a alteraciones en el metabolismo mineral óseo, lo cual aumenta el riesgo de complicaciones graves como la calcifilaxis urémica. A continuación se presenta el caso de un paciente masculino de 65 años, con múltiples comorbilidades, entre ellas enfermedad renal crónica estadio 5 en terapia de hemodiálisis durante largo tiempo, quien presentó hiperparatiroidismo secundario de difícil manejo y se complicó con necrosis peneana secundaria a calcifilaxis urémica. Se considera que este caso puede ser útil para sensibilizar a la comunidad médica sobre la gravedad de la calcifilaxis urémica por lo cual es muy importante la prevención y realización de un diagnóstico temprano antes de que se produzcan complicaciones como la necrosis. (Acta Med Colomb 2022; 47. DOI:https://doi.org/10.36104/amc.2022.2224).