Penile surgery effective for neurologic impairment
Key points
- Surgical implant of a penile prosthesis to treat erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence can be safely performed in neurologically impaired patients, according to a report in The Journal of Urology for March.
- The study involved 245 paraplegic or quadriplegic men who received penile prostheses between 1980 and 1996.
- The causes of spinal cord injury were trauma (80 percent), spina bifida (7 percent), tumors (6 percent), central nervous system infections (5 percent) and multiple sclerosis (2 percent).
- The majority of patients - 134 - received the prosthesis to control urinary incontinence to improve "urinary drainage when penile retraction has made this difficult," lead author Dr.
Surgical implant of a penile prosthesis to treat erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence can be safely performed in neurologically impaired patients, according to a report in The Journal of Urology for March. Of the three prostheses examined in the study, an inflatable 3-piece type carried the lowest complication risk.
The study involved 245 paraplegic or quadriplegic men who received penile prostheses between 1980 and 1996. Other prostheses used besides the inflatable 3-piece type (AMS 700), included semirigid (Jonas) and self-contained inflatable types (Dynaflex).
The average patient age was 40.8 years old. The causes of spinal cord injury were trauma (80 percent), spina bifida (7 percent), tumors (6 percent), central nervous system infections (5 percent) and multiple sclerosis (2 percent).
The majority of patients - 134 - received the prosthesis to control urinary incontinence to improve "urinary drainage when penile retraction has made this difficult," lead author Dr. Dirk-Henrik Zermann, from Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena in Germany, and colleagues note. Sixty patients received the device for erectile dysfunction and 51 received the implant for both problems.
After an average follow-up period of 7.2 years, urinary incontinence has resolved in 90.3 percent of the patients and erectile dysfunction was successfully treated in 82.6 percent of the patients.
Forty-three revisions, due to technical issues or infections, were performed, the report indicates. The overall infection rate was 5 percent.
The number of perforations associated with the implant varied by the type of device, ranging from none with the inflatable 3-piece device to 18.1 percent for the semi-rigid type.
The results of long-term follow-up indicate that the inflatable 3-piece prosthesis has the lowest risk of complications, the authors conclude. A successful outcome for penile implant surgery requires special preoperative and postoperative care, they add, particularly in men with neurologic impairments.
SOURCE: The Journal of Urology, March 2006.
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Digestive Health →
NewsMedication effective for acute liver failure in early stages of disease
The antidote for acute liver failure caused by acetaminophen poisoning also can treat acute liver failure due to most other causes if given before severe injury occurs, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers and…
9 October 2009
NewsUlcerative Colitis Treatment Reduces Need for Surgery by Almost Half
A new study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that ulcerative colitis patients had a 41 percent reduction in colectomy after a year when treated with infliximab, according to a study published in the October 2009…
2 October 2009
NewsComplications, deaths common after pancreas surgery
Major reports of outcomes after surgery to remove the pancreas may not reflect reality at average hospitals across the US, investigators say. Recent years have brought an increase in the number of people undergoing…