The Northeastern Section of the American Urological Association, Inc.

Peyronie’s disease is an acquired connective tissue disorder of the penis, characterized by local fibrosis. This results in a number of signs and symptoms, including penile deformity, erectile dysfunction, penile pain, and plaque formation. While the condition is relatively easy to diagnose based on history and physical examination, the pathogenesis and burden of disease are difficult to determine as current methods to image Peyronie’s plaques and fibrosis are suboptimal. Photoacoustic (PA) and enhanced ultrasound are non-invasive imaging techniques potentially capable of detecting fibrosis by imaging collagen. These imaging modalities have been previously optimized and validated for detecting kidney, bladder, and liver fibrosis. Our current objective is to investigate the use of photoacoustic and enhanced ultrasound to image Peyronie’s disease. We would like to understand whether PA ultrasound-based fibrosis measurements correlate with standard-of-care assessment tools and can potentially be used to assess disease burden. Ultimately, we would also like to understand if PA ultrasound-based fibrosis measurements can predict response to therapy, compared to standard-of-care tools (clinical assessment and conventional US).