Penile Mondor's Disease
Superficial Dorsal Vein Thrombophlebitis of the Penis
Evidence grade 3 of 5, Mixed. Read how the Atlas grades evidence.
The written rationale for this grade is still being prepared.
- FDA
- Benign self-limiting condition; no FDA-regulated therapy
Reference only. Not medical advice.
What can go wrong
The condition itself is benign, but it must be distinguished from Peyronie's disease and sclerosing lymphangitis, and an underlying hypercoagulable or malignant cause should be considered when there is no obvious trigger. Anticoagulation and surgical excision are reserved for persistent or symptomatic cases.
This is something to take to a clinician. The Atlas can tell you what is known about penile mondor's disease in general. It cannot tell you what is happening in your body, and the difference matters most for exactly the symptoms that bring people to this page.
Penile Mondor's disease is a rare, benign thrombophlebitis of the superficial dorsal vein of the penis, presenting as a mobile, cord-like induration on the dorsum, sometimes with mild pain. It is frequently underdiagnosed because many patients are asymptomatic. Reported triggers include vigorous or prolonged sexual activity, abstinence, trauma, genital surgery (including circumcision), malignancy, and - in recent reports - COVID-19 infection.
A palpable cord on the dorsum of the penis - alarming, usually benign.
What people take it for
These are the reasons people give for taking it. They are not effects it has been shown to have.
How it is supposed to work
Isolated thrombosis of the superficial dorsal vein produces a firm, palpable, non-inflamed cord. Venous stasis from prolonged erection, mechanical trauma, or a hypercoagulable state is the presumed mechanism; the thrombosed segment is non-compressible on Doppler with normal surrounding flow.
What people get wrong
Often saidA hard cord on the penis means cancer or Peyronie's
ActuallyMost often it is a self-limiting thrombosed superficial vein (Mondor's disease). Doppler ultrasound distinguishes it from a Peyronie's plaque.
Who profits, and who pushes back
Nobody is named here yet, because we have not done that work on this entry. Read that as unfinished. Somebody almost certainly sells this, and somebody almost certainly disputes it. Assume both until we have checked.
Set against the alternatives
Versus Peyronie's disease: Mondor's is a mobile venous cord, not a fixed tunica albuginea plaque, and does not cause curvature. Versus sclerosing lymphangitis: Mondor's involves a vein (Doppler-confirmable) rather than a lymphatic channel near the coronal sulcus.
At a glance
- Sign
- Mobile, cord-like dorsal induration
- Imaging of choice
- Color Doppler ultrasound
- Course
- Usually self-limiting over weeks
What this entry does not yet cover
What follows is unfinished work on our side, not a finding about Penile Mondor's Disease. A short entry is not a safe entry.
- Timeline. We have not built the dated record of research and regulatory events.
- Cost and market. We have not documented what it sells for or who sells it.
- Supply chain. We have not mapped where it is made.
- Who uses it. We have not documented the user groups.
- What could change. No forward-looking summary yet.
- Children and teenagers. We have not checked what is known about younger people.
- Where we land. We have not taken a position on this yet.
Sources
The studies below are named and described, but not linked. You cannot open them from here and check our reading against them, which means this page is our summary of the literature rather than a document you can verify. Weigh it accordingly until the links exist.
The studies that matter
Thrombosis of the dorsal vein of the penis - case report and review (PMC2978449)2010
Reviewed presentation, Doppler findings, and conservative course
COVID-19 as a new risk factor for penile Mondor disease (PMC9005161)2022
Reported association with SARS-CoV-2-related hypercoagulability