In a nutshell
This study looked at the risk factors which might indicate penile implant removal. It also looked at the trends in penile implants. It concluded that inflatable implants are more popular and there are factors which might indicate possible implant removal.
Some background
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is when you cannot get or keep an erection firm enough to have sex. ED can occur from a physical cause such as disease, injury or side effects of drugs. Emotional issues, psychological issues or mental health issues can also worsen ED symptoms. ED is often treated by lifestyle changes, medications, using a vacuum device (to improve blood flow to the penis) or even surgery.
Surgery is often used if the other treatment options for ED fail. Devices being implanted into the penis are one surgical option. One type of device works by implanting rods into the penis. The rods are connected to a fluid-filled ball (a hydraulic implant). A pump is squeezed under the skin to allow the fluid to fill the rods. This makes the penis erect. Another type of device are bendable rods (a non-hydraulic implant). Implants that bend most often have two rods that are placed together in the penis during surgery.
Penile implants can be difficult for patients to adjust to using but studies have found them to be effective.
Methods & findings
Databases were searched for patients who had either inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) or non-inflatable penile prosthesis (NIPP). Patients who had either IPP or NIPP removed were also included in the study. Race, marital status, diabetes and HIV status, medical insurance, steroid use, history of spinal cord injury and other diseases were all assessed. Other factors assessed centred around the hospital patients had the procedure in. Including hospital location, region, year of surgery, yearly number of IPP/NIPP patients in the hospital and yearly number of IPP/NIPP surgeries per surgeon.
5085 penile implants were put in. Implantations took place between 2003 and 2015. Of these, 3317 were removed within the study period. Patient factors associated with implant removal were race, HIV status, diabetes status and the occurrence of other diseases. These factors caused implant removal due to infection and mechanical complications. Black people had a decreased removal rate than white people. Hospital teaching status and hospital region, year of implant removal and the number of IPP/NIPP patients the surgeon has, all affected implant removal rate.
The bottom line
This study concluded that race, HIV/diabetes status, disease status were patient factors which could affect penile implant removal. Hospital teaching status, region, year of prosthesis removal and surgeon workload could also affect penile implant removal.
The fine print
The authors note that the database used to gather patient information did not have comprehensive data. This may affect this study's results.
What’s next?
If you are interested in learning more about penile implants, talk to your doctor.
Published By :
World Journal of Urology
Date :
Sep 24, 2018
