Stromal Vascular Fraction Combined with Shock Wave for the Treatment of Peyronie’s Disease

BACKGROUND: This pilot study was used to evaluate safety and subjective outcomes in a small series of Peyronie’s disease patients using a combination of autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF) and penile shock wave treatments. SVF can be procured and deployed into Peyronie’s plaques, enabling the surgeons to procure and mobilize significant numbers of both adult mesenchymal stem cells and antiinflammatory cytokines released from the adipose collagen matrix after collagen digestion. Penile shock wave therapy stimulates targeted tissues and may activate stem cells found in the SVF and promote healing and fibrosis mitigation. METHODS: SVF isolated from lipoaspirate was deployed by injection into 11 patients with Peyronie’s plaques in combination with a series of shock wave treatments. Subjective outcomes tests performed at baseline and at 6 months included the Erectile Hardness Grading Score and the Peyronie’s Disease Questionnaire (Questions 1–6). RESULTS: All patients noted subjective improvement in curvature and subjective reduction in plaque size. Seven patients reported improvement in erectile function. Mean Erectile Hardness Grading Score increased from 2.7 to 3.5, and mean Peyronie’s Disease Questionnaire scores decreased from 15.0 to 8.7. CONCLUSIONS: SVF is known to have scar mitigation, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, and regenerative effects, and it has been used for a variety of conditions on an investigational basis. SVF containing mesenchymal stem cells can be procured in a closed surgical system from lipoaspirate in a same-day setting and deployed directly into Peyronie’s plaques in combination with penile shock wave therapy resulting in plaque mitigation.