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Urology (Expert Forum)
Penis cordlike swelling
Questions in the Urology forum are answered by Dr. Stephen Liroff, affiliated with the Henry Ford Hospital. Topics covered include benign prostate disease, penis curvature, cystisis, kidney stones, pediatric urology, prostate, sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infections (UTI), and urological cancers.
Penis cordlike swelling
by fenera, Feb 02, 2008 12:55PM
I'm 35yo male. On several occassions, I have noticed a cord-like vein on the left side of my penis, just under the head. It curves around, like a letter "C". It is soft and appears most prominent after prolonged erections and especially when the erection is subsiding (1/2 erect penis). The cord is not always visible, only sometimes. On two occassions, after dry humping, this area where the cordlike vein became swollen (edema) quite significantly (size of a walnut). Swelling went down after 1-2 days. No pain.
In the same area, I have had a couple of small reddish lesions diagnosed as lichens or eczema by my dermatologist. Went away mostly using Elidel cream. Not sure if this is related.
The cordlike vein and the feeling that the swelling would occur again is still present. I've had a flaccid penis ultrasound (clean, no plaques). HSV2IgG / IgM are negative. VDRL, HIV1-2 are negative. IgE was 193 (normal is < 100) -- dermatologist says that the lesions and swelling can be due to allergies...
Urologist said "don't worry about it, even if it swells again, it's not important". But that is not reassuring because the penis is not supposed to swell like this! What other tests can I do? What possible diagnosis could it be?
In the same area, I have had a couple of small reddish lesions diagnosed as lichens or eczema by my dermatologist. Went away mostly using Elidel cream. Not sure if this is related.
The cordlike vein and the feeling that the swelling would occur again is still present. I've had a flaccid penis ultrasound (clean, no plaques). HSV2IgG / IgM are negative. VDRL, HIV1-2 are negative. IgE was 193 (normal is < 100) -- dermatologist says that the lesions and swelling can be due to allergies...
Urologist said "don't worry about it, even if it swells again, it's not important". But that is not reassuring because the penis is not supposed to swell like this! What other tests can I do? What possible diagnosis could it be?
It's not related to the superficial skin that was improved with the topical steroid Elidel. BTW, I wouldn't use that for very long, it can thin the skin, and make intercourse more at risk of breaking the skin.