Clinical outcomes of the Burnett “snake” maneuver shunt modification for ischemic priapism

Background: Major ischemic priapism (IP) is defined as a persistent penile erection for >4 hours. IP may cause serious complications, especially if prompt resolution is not achieved. Therefore, selecting the most effective and usable shunt technique is crucial in IP cases that are refractory to medical therapy. Aim: To compare the effectiveness and complication risks of distal corporoglanular shunt procedures with and without the Burnett “snake” maneuver. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients who presented with IP and underwent surgical treatment at our institution between 2005 and 2021. The patients were categorized into 2 groups: group 1 (n = 26) underwent distal shunt + Burnett snake maneuver, and group 2 (n = 56) underwent distal shunt-only. Clinical history, parameters of IP, details of medical and surgical treatments, and follow-up information were evaluated. Outcomes: Outcomes included differences in IP resolution and recurrence, functional erections, and complications between corporoglanular shunt procedures with and without the Burnett snake maneuver. Results: In group 1, 24 of 26 patients (92.3%) experienced priapism resolution with a single surgical intervention, while this outcome was observed in 30 of 56 patients (53.6%) in group 2 (P < .001). Notably, priapism recurrence was significantly lower in group 1, occurring in 1 of 24 patients (4.2%), as opposed to 8 of 30 patients (26.6%) in group 2 (P < .001). Of the patients with documented sexual function status at follow-up, functional erections (capable of penetration with or without phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors) were noted in 6 of 14 patients (42.8%) in group 1 and 13 of 26 patients (50%) in group 2 (P = .66). Clinical Implications: This study provides valuable insights regarding technical aspects of distal shunt procedures with and without the Burnett snake maneuver for treating major IP episodes. These results can help surgeons with clinical decision making for patients who present with IP. Strength and Limitations: Limitations include the single-site retrospective design with potential selection bias, inaccuracies in medical record data, challenges in controlling confounding variables, and the lack of validated questionnaire scores for erectile function evaluation. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that modifying distal shunt procedures using the Burnett snake maneuver significantly improves priapism resolution and effectively prevents further priapism episodes without introducing additional complications or erectile function loss, thereby distinguishing it from distal shunt-only procedures.