DATE: Monday, October 20, 1997              TAG: 9710180045

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARIE JOYCE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   98 lines

DOCTOR'S UNLIKELY TWIST OF FATE PAULA JONES CASE PUTS EVMS SPECIALIST IN SPOTLIGHT

DR. GERALD H. JORDAN has never examined any part of the president of the United States of America. And he's certainly never seen the part that some Clinton critics say gets the president in the most trouble.

In fact, Jordan has so little interest in Clinton and his peccadillos that when a Washington newspaper reporter called the urologist to ask about ``the Jones case,'' Jordan thought they were discussing a malpractice suit.

But this was the Jones Case - Paula Jones, who is suing President Clinton for sexual harassment. And the Washington Times article, which speculated about the condition of some parts of the First Anatomy, has made the Norfolk urologist an overnight celebrity.

He's had so many calls from American and foreign newspapers, including the venerable Times of London, that he's not even trying to answer them all.

Paula Jones alleges that Clinton exposed himself and propositioned her in 1991. During the incident, she claims, she noted a ``distinguishing characteristic'' on a part of Clinton's anatomy that hasn't been seen by even the most dedicated C-SPAN viewer. That characteristic, she said, will help prove her case.

The Washington Times, a conservative newspaper, this week said that what Jones saw is a condition resembling something called ``Peyronie's disease.'' The newspaper didn't name its sources.

That's where Dr. Jordan comes in. Jordan, a surgeon at Devine Fiveash Urology and a professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, is an expert in Peyronie's disease, which causes curvature of the penis. A doctor at Georgetown University Medical Center recommended him to the Washington Times reporter for background information.

Jordan is glad to get out more information about this potentially devastating, but treatable, condition. But he fears that discussions will devolve into sniggering puns about a disease that causes misery to many of his patients.

``Peyronie's disease is a disease that is very, very serious to the patients and their partners, and they are in a lot of distress. A lot of these patients are having major depression,'' he said. Often, the people he sees do a lot of their communication through sex, rather than discussion. They tend to have sex more often than average for people in their age group. ``These are couples that relate through intercourse.''

Peyronie's disease is a little-understood condition that is caused when hard, fibrous tissue - called plaque - forms under the skin on one side of the penis. The plaque can lead to a scar that may cause the penis to bend sharply when erect.

In afflicts about 1 in 100 men, Jordan said, although there are probably even more cases that haven't been diagnosed because the men are too embarrassed. Jordan sees about 200 patients a year with Peyronie's, and about 40 more with congenital curvature of the penis.

The Times also used Jordan's expertise to discount a claim that the president showed no signs of any such condition during his recent medical examination.

``In terms of size, shape, direction, whatever the devious mind wants to concoct, the president is a normal man,'' Robert S. Bennett, the president's lead attorney, said in the Times story.

If the disease had been there since at least 1991, it would be almost impossible to detect in an exam by a general practitioner, Jordan said.

Jordan himself gets fooled sometimes. The scar tissue can shrink so that it's no longer palpable, even if it's still causing problems.

Peyronie's is only visible when the penis is fully erect, and a doctor's office isn't the setting to inspire such a posture. The part of the nervous system that controls anxiety also is responsible for suppressing the sex drive.

``It may sound trite, but the penis is a shy organ,'' said Jordan.

Some doctors send the patient into a room with videos or magazines, but Jordan just tells them to take a photo at home and bring it to the appointment.

Most often, the curvature is not so bad that it causes pain or interferes with a patient's sexual ability.

But some cases can get quite bad. Those are usually the people who see Jordan.

There is not a huge amount of research on Peyronie's, and there is no proven drug treatment, although some doctors have reported success with targeted use of vitamin E.

In the worst cases, Jordan will operate to remove the scar tissue and patch the area with tissue taken from another part of the penis. But most patients don't need this.

Peyronie's may sometimes be triggered by injury to the penis during sex. This has led to more than a few jokes - jokes that don't amuse Jordan. One reporter referred to it as a result of ``rodeo sex.''

And Jordan is not entirely comfortable participating, however peripherally, in the whole Jones-Clinton business.

The doctor is no Clinton fan. He didn't vote for him. And he figures that if the president has been accused of misconduct, he should have his day in court.

Even so, Clinton - love him or hate him - is the president.

``I mean, he's got the job. I just find there are so many things being done to make him as ineffective as he possibly can (be),'' Jordan said. ``I don't like the situation. I think they should just get off his back and let him govern.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

IAN MARTIN/The Virginian-Pilot

Dr. Gerald H. Jordan's...

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