The Men's Clinic at UCLA has a multidisciplinary team to provide health care services just for men and to care for male urological conditions, including priapism.
Priapism is an erection that lasts longer than 4 hours. A prolonged, painful penile erection persisting for more than four hours is not associated with sexual arousal, but rather a failure of blood to drain from the penis after it flows there during the erection's onset. When not immediately treated, this condition can lead to scarring and permanent inability to achieve an erection.
Priapism can result from diseases that affect blood circulation such as sickle cell disease and leukemia; or from certain medications.
Erections lasting longer than 4 hours may require specialized treatment in a hospital's emergency room. Emergency treatment includes draining the "trapped" blood with a needle inserted into the side of the penis.
For more information please visit The Men's Clinic at UCLA, or call (310) 794-7700 to make an appointment.
The Men's Clinic at UCLA is a comprehensive center for optimizing men's health at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA.