Ultrasound and soft-tissue radiography to monitor local interferon-alpha 2B treatment in Peyronie's disease.

Purpose: We attempted to assess objectively the response of Peyronie's disease plaques to local interferon-alpha 2B.

Material And Methods: Twenty patients were treated with 5 local injections of 1 million units of IFN-alpha 2B into a single designated plaque. Before treatment, and 4 weeks and 6 months after treatment, the plaques were examined ultrasonographically. Each time, a histogram profile was performed. All patients also underwent soft-tissue radiography in 2 planes using the mammography technique before and 6 months after treatment.

Results: We found that with ultrasonography the plaques could be classified into 3 groups depending on degree of calcification, from nil to complete. Radiography detected calcifications better than ultrasonography but failed to detect plaques without calcification. The degree of calcification was negatively correlated with the response to treatment, since noncalcified plaques responded best, while fully calcified plaques failed to respond.

Conclusion: In Peyronie's disease, ultrasonography is an important tool for non-invasive monitoring treatment response and for preselecting patients for medical treatment.