ULTRASOUND AND SOFT-TISSUE RADIOGRAPHY TO MONITOR LOCAL INTERFERON-ALPHA-2B TREATMENT IN PEYRONIES-DISEASE

Purpose: We attempted to assess objectively the response of Peyronie's disease plaques to local interferon-alpha 2B. Material and Methods: T wenty patients were treated with 5 local injections of 1 million units of IFN-alpha 2B into a single designated plaque. Before treatment, an d 4 weeks and 6 months after treatment, the plaques were examined ultr asonographically. Each time, a histogram profile was performed. All pa tients also underwent soft-tissue radiography in 2 planes using the ma mmography technique before and 6 months after treatment. Results: We f ound that with ultrasonography the plaques could be classified into 3 groups depending on degree of calcification, from nil to complete. Rad iography detected calcifications better than ultrasonography but faile d to detect plaques without calcification. The degree of calcification was negatively correlated with the response to treatment, since nonca lcified plaques responded best, while fully calcified plaques failed t o respond. Conclusion: In Peyronie's disease, ultrasonography is an im portant tool for noninvasive monitoring treatment response and for pre selecting patients for medical treatment.