Del. man sues over 8-month erection

A medical malpractice case involving an eight-month erection is playing out in New Castle County Superior Court in Delaware.

Newark truck driver Daniel Metzgar began having the problem in 2009 after getting a three-part penile implant from Wilmington urologist Thomas J. Desperito, according to the Wilmington News-Journal.

Riding a motorcycle, dancing, dressing normally, and even fetching the morning newspaper became uncomfortable or embarrassing - and he wound up with less size and sensitivity because of scar tissue, even after a successful implant from a different doctor, Metzgar and his attorney explained in court.

The urologist's attorneys countered that "Metzgar should have known something was wrong after he had the surgery, when, he said, his scrotum swelled to the size of a volleyball," according to the report.

Metzgar said he thought some swelling was normal.

After Metzgar complained of an infection and the nonstop erection, the urologist recommended removing the prosthesis, but the patient delayed taking action for months, a defense attorney said.

"Metzgar ended up getting the prosthesis removed in August 2010, after tubing from the device punctured his scrotum during a family trip to Niagara Falls," the News-Journal stated.

Metzgar reportedly turned to the prosthesis option after erectile dysfunction medications failed to help.