Penile Prosthesis
What are Penile Prostheses?
A penile prosthesis is a device which is inserted under general anesthetic into the chambers of the penis to guarantee the rigidity necessary for sexual intercourse. Penile prosthesis reproduces a normal erection and preserves all the normal feelings and sensations. The quality of the erections obtained with a penile prosthesis is excellent, with almost all patients and partners fully satisfied with the outcome of surgery.
The procedure usually lasts less than one hour, and the patients are usually discharged the day after. The penile prosthesis is usually inserted through a 3 cm-long incision on the scrotal sac. Sexual activity is usually recommended six weeks after.
Penile prostheses are available in a semirigid and inflatable version. Semi-rigid or malleable penile prostheses are made of two semi-rigid cylinders, which are inserted into the chambers of the penis. They produce a constant erection, and the penis is usually bent laterally to be concealed in the underpants.
The inflatable penile prosthesis is instead made of two cylinders, which sit in the chambers of the penis, a scrotal pump, and an intra-abdominal reservoir. All the system is filled with sterile water. When the patient wishes to obtain an erection, he has to squeeze the pump to transfer the fluid from the reservoir to the cylinders. This produces a very good level of rigidity and a natural-looking erection. When sexual intercourse is completed, the patient needs to press the deactivation button of the pump to transfer the fluid back into the reservoir and to render the penis flaccid.
Inflatable penile prosthesis, by far, produces the best results in terms of rigidity and concealing of the penis in flaccidity. Malleable penile prosthesis, therefore, is indicated only in selected groups of patients.
Why Are Penile Reconstruction and Phalloplasty Necessary?
There are various conditions in the male patient where penile reconstruction is required; the most common of these are partial and complete amputation of the penis. Penile tissue loss can be secondary to trauma or to elective surgical intervention to remove benign or malignant (cancerous) conditions of the penis. Penile reconstruction also becomes necessary when the size of the penis is inadequate to allow the patient to engage in penetrative sexual activity. If the loss of tissue is partial, the penis can be reconstructed with the use of flaps or skin grafts. When most of the penile tissue is lost instead, the patient needs to undergo total penile reconstruction (phalloplasty).
Do I Have a Penile Deformity?
If a trauma, a skin condition, or previous surgery has produced a deformity of your penis, you should book a consultation with Mr Garaffa. Mr Garaffa is one of the leading experts in complex penile reconstruction and will be able to offer you an effective solution to restore adequate cosmesis and satisfactory function to your penis to allow you to resume sexual activity with confidence.