DOCTORS discovered a man's penis was 'turning to bone' when he turned up at A&E after falling on his bum.
The man, 63, sought treatment after experiencing knee pain but also complained about pain in his penis while being examined.
Upon examination, it was discovered that a rare condition called 'penile ossification' was the cause of the patient's todger troubles.
It's caused by calcium building up in the soft tissue of the penis, leading to a bony extraskeletal structure forming inside the member.
Fewer than 40 cases of penile ossification have been documented in the scientific literature.
When it does occur, it's often linked to Peyronie's disease - a condition where hardened tissue forms on the penis, causing it to curve and sometimes resulting in erectile dysfunction.
It typically affects men over 40, but younger men can also get it.
What was unusual about the 63-year-old patient's case was "the presence of ossification in the entire penile shaft".
"The ossification usually takes place in the mid-shaft of the penis with few cases reporting involvement of the entire shaft," medics at the Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx, NY, explained in their report.
The man - who had a history of alcoholism - went to A&E after falling over.
According to the case report: "He was walking on the side walk with his cane when he fell onto his buttocks.
The man was able to get up but started getting knee pain shortly afterwards.
When he complained of pain in his member, doctors examined him but didn't find any prostate swelling or see any unusual discharge.
They performed pelvic X-rays to look for any fractures - and discovered bone-like growth in his penis in the process.
"An extensive, plaque-like calcification along the expected distribution of the penis was evident," medics wrote.
"The diagnosis of penile ossification along the entire penile shaft was suspected."
The patient decided to leave the emergency department against medical advice, so doctors weren't able to do any lab tests or follow-up examination.
The trigger for the man's penile ossification remains unknown, but doctors suspected that Peyronie's disease contributed to the man's condition.
Other factors that may have led to peculiar bone growth in his penis include late-stage kidney disease, metabolic abnormalities, repeated trauma to the penis or chronic inflammation.
