What are the treatments for priapism?
There are three methods of treatment. The most effective is the injection of medicines into the penis that allow the blood to escape. Cold packs may also be applied to alleviate the condition, but this method becomes ineffective after about eight hours. For the most serious cases and those that do not respond to the first two treatments, a needle can be used to remove the blood. The tissues may need to be flushed with saline or diluted medications by the same needle method. That failing, there are more extensive surgical procedures available. One of them shuts off much of the blood supply to the penis so that it can relax. If the problem is due to a sickle cell crisis, treatment of the crisis with oxygen or transfusion may suffice. Source: The Gale Group. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed.
