A man required open surgery after weatherproofing spray foam was inserted into his penis, according to a medical case report.

The man, aged 45, presented to the emergency department of a hospital as he was finding it difficult to urinate and also had blood in his urine.

The patient said that he had been inserting various objects into his penis as an aid for erectile dysfunction, and one of these objects had been a straw that was attached to a can of weatherproofing spray foam.

However, on that occasion the man's partner accidentally pressed the can's button, spraying the foam down through his penis and into his bladder. In the days that followed, the man developed symptoms such as difficulty urinating, pain when urinating, and blood in his urine. He went to hospital three weeks later.

Doctors conducted a scan of his abdomen and pelvis and found large pieces of the foam stuck inside his bladder and penis. One portion of the foam in his bladder measured roughly 11 by four by six centimeters.

Sometimes, in cases like this, medics can carry out what's known as an endoscopy, in which a tool would be inserted into the patient's body in order to extract the material without surgery being needed.

However, the deepness of the foam chunks as well as the fact that the man's penis had narrowed meant that an open cystotomy—in which a surgeon accesses the urinary tract via a cut near the belly—was required.

The patient was left with a catheter in place that was removed a few weeks later. At the time of the case report, it was noted he may undergo a repair to his urethra.

It is not the first time that doctors have reported cases in which patients have inserted objects, including straws, cotton swabs, batteries, nails, and cable wires, into their penises, the report states, sometimes for sexual gratification but sometimes due to mental health issues.

Patients often end up complaining of pain when urinating or blood in the urine as a result, but may delay seeking medical help "due to embarrassment," the case report authors wrote.

"Unfortunately, many patients are repeat offenders and thus psychiatric evaluation to prevent recurrent injury should be considered," they said.

The case report was published in the journal Urology Case Reports in November 2020.

It is not the only penis-related case report to be published. Last summer doctors reported the case of a man who fractured his penis vertically during sex.

More recently, anecdotal reports have emerged from men who say their genitals have shrunk after they caught COVID.

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