Artist left with ‘half a penis’ after ‘botched surgery’

February 9, 2017

Zeljku Nosicu, 57, was diagnosed with Peyronie’s disease in 2014
The illness causes lump build-up in the penis, causes it to bend painfully
In extreme cases, patients require corrective surgery – after blood-flow-boosting pills and collagen-breaking injections fail
One standard kind of surgery carries risk of shortening the penis
After surgery Nosicu claims his penis is 3 inches shorter, he is suing the hospital

Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com

Published:
11:54 EST, 8 February 2017

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Updated:
11:54 EST, 8 February 2017

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A man is suing a hospital for allegedly halving the length of his penis in a botched surgery that removed three inches of his manhood.

Zeljku Nosicu, 57, was meant to have corrective surgery after a tissue disease left his penis with a lump that made it curve when erect.

When Nosicu woke up in the Zagreb hospital ward, the lump had gone.

But the Croatian artist says he was horrified to see his anatomy had shrunk by three inches.

‘I went in for the procedure because I needed help. I came back with half a penis,’ Nosicu told Croatian newspaper Provjereno.

Zeljku Nosicu, 57, (pictured) was meant to have corrective surgery after a tissue disease left his penis with a lump that made it curve when erect. His penis is now three inches shorter

WHAT IS PEYRONIE’S DISEASE?

Peyronie’s causes a build-up of plaque in the penis, that can make it curve up or sideways.

CAUSE:

There is no known cause. In many cases it is caused by an injury that triggers bleeding inside the penis. In rare cases it can be genetic.

SYMPTOMS:

Lumps: When flaccid, the penis looks exactly the same. The lumps are visible when erect. The penis will likely bend in a different direction.

Pain: Most men can still have sex with Peyronie’s disease, though it may be painful or logistically complicated.

TREATMENT:

Leave it: In most cases, the disease will go away on its own, and the curve will disappear. Doctors suggest waiting one to two years before treatment.

Step 1: Pills

Those who require treatment will first be offered pills to boost blood flow, such as pentoxifylline (sold as Trental), or a skin treatment to dissolve plaques, such as Potaba.

Step 2: Injections

For those who do not respond to that treatment, they will be given a shot of Xiaflex – a collagenese injection to breaks down collagen in the lump.

Step 3: Surgery

The two avenues for operations both carry significant risks for damage.

OPTION 1: Remove the plaque and get a tissue graft in its place.

SIDE EFFECT: Can leave the patient with troubles getting an erection.

OPTION 2: The so-called Nesbit procedure – only recommended in extreme cases. It removes or alters the tissue on the side of the penis opposite the plaque to stop the bending effect.

SIDE EFFECT: It carries the significant risk of shortening the penis.

The operation, in September 2015, was meant to be Nosicu’s final step to recovery from Peyronie’s disease.

Though it does carry a risk of penis-shortening, he claims he was never told about that.

And, regardless, he believes it was down to negligence on the part of the surgeons, rather than a routine side effect.

The condition, though known to disappear on its own without treatment, can be complicated to treat in severe cases.

Peyronie’s causes a build-up of plaque in the penis, that can make it curve up or sideways.

It is usually caused by some kind of impact trauma or injury, that triggers bleeding inside the penis. In rare cases it can be caused by a genetic mutation.

When flaccid, the penis looks exactly the same. However, the lumps are visible when erect, and the penis will likely bend in a different direction.

Most men can still have sex with Peyronie’s disease, though it may be painful or logistically complicated.

In most cases, the disease will go away on its own, and the curve will disappear. Doctors suggest waiting one to two years before seeking corrective surgery.

Those who do require treatment will first be offered pills to boost blood flow, such as pentoxifylline (sold as Trental), or a skin treatment pill to dissolve plaques, such as Potaba.

For those like Nosicu who do not respond to that treatment, they will be given a shot of Xiaflex – a collagenese injection that breaks down the collagen causing the lump.

Only after that fails do doctors recommend getting surgery.

But the two avenues for operations both carry significant risks for damage.

First, the could remove the plaque and get a tissue graft in its place. This, however, can leave the patient with troubles getting an erection.

The second option is to perform the so-called Nesbit procedure – something doctors only recommend if the patient’s life has become severely hampered by their condition.

This procedure removes or alters the tissue on the side of the penis opposite the plaque to counter the disease’s bending effect.

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It carries the significant risk of shortening the penis.

Once free from Peyronie’s disease, the sufferer will likely lose all their symptoms.

However, in some severe cases the sufferer will be left with a permanent lump or curve.

Some men may also suffer plaque build-ups in other parts of their body as a result of the infection.

Though the operation does carry a risk of penis-shortening, Nosicu claims he was never told about that. And he believes it was the surgeon’s negligence, rather than a routine side effect