Peyronie's disease (PD) is a condition with significant physical, sexual, and psychological impact that is not fully captured by existing Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) instruments.
To develop and preliminarily validate the PEYROnie's disease Questionnaire (PEYRO-Q), a novel multidimensional PRO questionnaire designed to provide a comprehensive and inclusive assessment of PD.
A prospective multicenter study was conducted between April and July 2025, enrolling 206 adult patients with PD. The PEYRO-Q, developed in accordance with COSMIN guidelines, includes 10 domains and 12 items assessing deformity severity and stability, pain, penile shortening, sexual function, erectile function, psychological distress, and sexual avoidance. Content validity was established through expert panel review. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha, while test-retest reliability was assessed over a 2-week interval. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with promax rotation was performed to investigate the underlying structure.
Primary outcomes were internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and factor structure of the PEYRO-Q.
The study population had a median age of 62 years, with most patients reporting moderate penile curvature and long-standing disease stability. The PEYRO-Q demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.90) and test-retest reliability (α = 0.89-1.00; Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, ICC up to 0.99). EFA supported a three-factor structure explaining 62.2% of total variance, corresponding to clinical/functional burden, disease perception and evolution, and psychological/behavioral impact. Moderate correlations between domains (eg, erectile aid use and psychological distress, r = 0.41) confirmed related but distinct constructs. The questionnaire allowed detailed and inclusive profiling of sexual function and psychological burden.
The PEYRO-Q offers a practical, inclusive, and comprehensive tool for assessing PD burden in both clinical practice and research settings.
Strengths include the multidimensional and inclusive design, strong psychometric performance, and multicenter prospective validation. Limitations include the predominantly Italian cohort, lack of longitudinal responsiveness data, absence of direct comparison with existing instruments, and limited clinical characterization such as plaque localization.
The PEYRO-Q is a reliable and clinically relevant PRO instrument for PD, warranting further validation to confirm responsiveness and cross-cultural applicability.
Sexual medicine. 2026 May 18*** epublish ***
Andrea Cocci, Mattia Lo Re, Marta Pezzoli, Javier Romero-Otero, Juan Ignacio Martinez Salamanca, Nicolas Mourel-Journel, Paul Neuville, Antoine Faix, Sam Ward, Koenraad Van Renterghem, Georgios Hatzichristodoulou, Daniar Osmonov, David Ralph, Anna Cadenar, Marco Falcone, Giorgio Ivan Russo, Carlo Bettocchi, Giovanni E Cacciamani, Nicola Mondaini, Marta Skrodzka, Edoardo Pozzi, Andrea Salonia
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50100 Florence, Italy., Department of Urology, Hospital Universitario HM Sanchinarro, Instituto Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales and ROC Clinic, 28010 Madrid, Spain., Urology Department, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda and Lyx Institute of Urology, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid 28223, Spain., Urology Department, Hôpital Lyon Sud, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 69495 Lyon, France., Department of Urology, Department of Andrology, Clinique du Millénaire, 34000 Montpellier, France., Department of Urology, Cliniques Saint-Jean, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium., Department of Urology, Jessa Hospital, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium., Department of Urology, Martha-Maria Hospital Nuremberg, Nuremberg, Germany., Department of Urology, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein, Kiel 24105, Germany., Department of Urology, University College London Hospitals, Great Britain, London NW1 2PB, United Kingdom., Urology Clinic - A.O.U. "Città della Salute e della Scienza"- Molinette Hospital, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy., Urology Section, Department of Surgery, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy., Andrology and Male Genitalia Reconstructive Surgery Unit, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy., USC Institute of Urology, Catherine & Joseph Aresty Department of Urology, Keck School of Medecine University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, CA, United States., Department of Urology, University Magna Graecia, Catanzaro 88100, Italy., Department of Urology, St. Georges University Hospital, London SW17 0QT, United Kingdom., Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan 20132, Italy.