Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans: Presentation of a Case

Abstract

Balanitis xerotica obliterans is a term applied to a chronic inflammatory disease of the glans penis and prepuce. The symptoms are usually a sudden FIMOSI, a reduction of the sensibility of the glans, a stenosis of the uretreal meatum and dysuria. The disease was thought in the past as a rare pathology, whereas recent reviews of the literature showed that its frequency is quite high. We present a case of a male patient who presented to the urological department of the Guastalla hospital for a sclerosing lesion of the glans. The lesion were biopsied, and the histological picture showed hyperkeratosis of the epithelium with atrophy of the malpighian layer, oedema of the upper dermis and inflammatory infiltrate of medium derma (lymphocytes and scattered histyocites). The early diagnosis and the following treatment of this pathology are very important for its resolution, although the surgery is not always needful (often it is sufficient the clinical diagnosis). The surgical excision shall be used always in case of differential diagnosis with a neoplastic and/or atypical or uncertain lesions (penis carcinoma).