"Penile injuries are uncommon."
That's the reassuring first line of a new -- which does, be warned, include photos -- by two urologists at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria.
Over a period of 6 years, the authors had only 23 cases at their hospital. The most common cause, in eight patients, was penile fractures, more commonly referred to as a .
Six patients suffered from genital mutilation, some self-inflicted. (This has been previously reported .)
There were also accidents, "mainly from occupational injuries from industrial machines, road traffic crash (RTC), and domestic injuries (accidental injuries from sharp objects, while playing in the home environment). The end result of these severe injuries varied from partial amputation, complete amputation, and crush injuries to the penis."
And: "Circumcision injuries were noted in three (13%) following attempt at circumcision by a poorly trained nursing staff."
Apparently, one man waited a week before seeking treatment.
Two of the injuries were caused by gunshots. For those readers interested in a larger case series of bullets to the ... , researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia described over the course of 20 years.