Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37893867›Full record

ArticleHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2023

Hard Flaccid Syndrome: A Biopsychosocial Management Approach with Emphasis on Pain Management, Exercise Therapy and Education.

Evdokia Billis, Stavros Kontogiannis, Spyridon Tsounakos, Eleni Konstantinidou, Konstantinos Giannitsas

Open access · goldAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Comment on: Hard-flaccid syndrome: a report of two cases.International journal of impotence research · 2026
    Article
  3. Response to Comment on: Hard-flaccid syndrome: a report of two case.International journal of impotence research · 2026
    Article
  4. Hard-flaccid syndrome: a report of two cases.International journal of impotence research · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Evdokia BillisLaboratory of Clinical Physiotherapy and Research, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Patras, 26504 Rio, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-5828-809X
Stavros KontogiannisDepartment of Urology, University Hospital of Patras, 26504 Rio, Greece.
Spyridon TsounakosDepartment of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Patras, 26504 Rio, Greece.
Eleni KonstantinidouPelvic Floor Physiotherapy, 54622 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Konstantinos GiannitsasDepartment of Urology, University Hospital of Patras, 26504 Rio, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-7552-0831
General University Hospital of Patras · GRUniversity of Patras · GR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Hard flaccid syndrome (HFS) is a rather rare, acquired clinical entity affecting young men's well-being, sexual and social life. HFS presents with a cluster of symptoms including penile-specific somatosensory disturbances, a semi-rigid penis at the flaccid state without any stimulation or desire, erectile dysfunction, perineal and/or penile pain, associated urinary symptoms, emotional distress as well as other psychosocial and stress-related manifestations. Although its pathophysiology is still not well understood, initial penile trauma causing minor nerve and vascular disturbances to the penis and associated pelvic floor musculature is suggested to trigger the syndrome. Despite the scarcity of research on HFS, the present report describes a case of a young male clinically diagnosed with HFS, who benefited from a biopsychosocial management strategy, focusing on pain management, therapeutic exercise approaches, such as pelvic floor exercise re-education, graded exposure to activity as well as education on lifestyle and stress-related modifications. This holistic management approach has been clinically reasoned in this case report, and the need for more evidence-based studies developing diagnosing criteria, elaborating pathophysiological mechanisms and testing the efficiency of different therapeutic options is highlighted.

Indexed as

biopsychosocialchronic pelvic paineducationexercise therapygraded exposurehard flaccid syndromepain managementpelvic floor exercisesstretches

Identifiers

PMID37893867
PMCPMC10606578
OpenAlexW4387859723

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.