Penile gangrene from calciphylaxis is salvageable with intravenous sodium thiosulfate and early total parathyroidectomy

Geraldine Yanlei Lei; Kon Voi Tay; Cheryl Hern Qi Chong; Thomas Ho

doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2020.11.085

Penile gangrene from calciphylaxis is salvageable with intravenous sodium thiosulfate and early total parathyroidectomy

Int J Surg Case Rep. 2021 Feb:79:67-69. doi: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2020.11.085. Epub 2020 Dec 29.

Authors

Geraldine Yanlei Lei¹, Kon Voi Tay², Cheryl Hern Qi Chong³, Thomas Ho⁴

Affiliations

¹ General Surgery Department, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. Electronic address: a0133295@u.nus.edu.
² General Surgery Department, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore; General Surgery Department, Woodlands Health Campus, Singapore.
³ Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
⁴ Mount Alvernia Hospital, Singapore.

Abstract

Penile gangrene is a rare but fatal complication of calciphylaxis in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). To date, there are no guidelines on its management, and outcomes are generally poor with high mortality rate. We present a case of a diabetic patient with ESRD presenting with dry gangrene of the glans penis due to calciphylaxis and successfully treated with intravenous sodium thiosulfate (STS) and early total parathyroidectomy. We further analysed existing literatures on cases that utilized STS in the treatment of penile calciphylaxis.

Keywords: Calciphylaxis; Penile gangrene; Sodium thiosulfate.

Publication types

Case Reports