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The patient : A 21 - year - old man in Iran

The symptoms : The patient reported that his penis had been " partially rigid " for three month .

a close-up of a tattoo needle and ink

A man got a tattoo from a person who used a handheld needle. This approach to tattooing isn’t uncommon, but in this case, the tattoo was botched and led to an unintended side effect.

What happened next : Upon examining the man , doctors noted that he had a tattoo along the top of the penial shaft , as well as another tattoo on the glans , or confidential information of the penis . The man initially told the doctors he ’d gotten the tattoo several years prior , but he later said he ’d gotten them just before his symptoms emerged .

The tattooist had used a handheld acerate leaf , the patient role said , which is a common traditional tattooing technique . afterwards , the affected role experienced haemorrhage and pain for a number of days . After the pain subsided , the man experienced " longer - than - usual eternal rest - link up erection , " which exacerbate to the point that his penis was " half - rigid " all the time .

His doctors further look into his aesculapian history and move many laboratory tests , let in encephalon scan to look for abnormalities and blood trial run to reign out infection . Using sound waves to value blood flow in the member , the doctors saw " pseudoaneurysms " in the tattooed area , meaning there were places where the artery had been injured , make bloodline to pool .

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The diagnosis : The homo was diagnosed with " nonischemic priapism . " Priapism refers to prolong erecting that happen in the absence of intimate stimulus , or that continue long after intimate stimulant has stop .

The most vulgar form of priapism — ischemic priapism — appears when a obstruction prevents deoxygenated blood from exiting the penis , or when sure drug forbid that blood menses . This can quickly moderate to tissue damage , permanent scarring and impotence .

In nonischemic priapism , though , line of descent flow is not occlude , so there ’s less pain and alow risk of permanent harm . This condition , also promise " high - menstruation priapism , " typically occur when an arterial blood vessel in the erectile tissue is injured and allows too much blood to be endlessly pumped into the penis .

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The handling : The appropriate handling was n’t uncommitted at the facility where the affected role was try out , so he was refer to another facility for a superselective embolization , a procedure that would have forget blood flowing through the injured arteries to repress blood menses in the member . However , he instead underwent a " nonindicated " procedure that did n’t make sense given the features of his case . ( Ina account of the case , the man ’s medico did n’t note where or why he got this alternative operation . )

The procedure involve introducingshunts , or passageways for line , between two tissue : thecorpus cavernosumand the corpus spongiosum . In ischaemic priapism , rip builds up in the corpus cavernosum , so introducing these shunts facilitate the blood to enfeeble the right way . However , in nonischemic priapism , blood flow is not block , so that surgical operation would n’t help . " Predictably , the subroutine was unsuccessful , " the man ’s Doctor of the Church write in the case report .

What make the case unique : At the time the case was release , in 2012 , the doctors wrote that it was the " first case of nonischemic priapism follow penial tattooing " ever described in the aesculapian lit .

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A close-up image of the face of a bat with their wings folded under their face

Priapism can have many trigger . For example , ischemic — or " low - flow rate " — priapism can be associate with sickle cellphone disease ; blood cancers , such as leukemia ; andthe use of drug , let in sure antipsychotics , antidepressants and erectile - dysfunction medications . High - flowing priapism accounts foronly about 5%of priapism instance and is most often have by physical psychic trauma to the penis or the perineum , the tissue between the scrotum and anus .

" In our eccentric , most belike , the handheld [ tattoo ] needle penetrate the penis too abstruse , " the doctors write . " base on our alone case , we discourage penial tattooing . "

The affected role , for his part , report have no rue over the tattoo and no depression or other psychological symptom connect to the priapism .

Portrait of a female nurse preparing patient for a tomography exam at hospital at hospital.

This clause is for informational determination only and is not meant to propose aesculapian advice .

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