One out of every five men suffers from erectile dysfunction, according to Dr. Peinado’s website. When a patient suffers from erectile dysfunction and traditional treatments fail, a penile prosthesis must be used.
Erectile dysfunction is the inability of the penis to become completely rigid for sexual intercourse. This problem is more common among patients over 40 years of age. When a man suffers from erectile dysfunction, the first solutions applied are intracavernous injections or medications. The penile prosthesis is only placed when there is no response to drugs because it is a definitive solution.
The placement of the penile prosthesis consists of surgery in which cylinders are inserted into the corpora cavernosa. In this way the patient can have erections whenever he wants and without altering the orgasm and ejaculation.
Types of penile prosthesis
Currently, there are two types of penile prostheses:
- Three-component prosthesis: this type of prosthesis consists of a reservoir, where the serum is located, which is connected to cylinders. This allows the cylinders to be inflated with the serum. A pump is then placed in the scrotum, between the testicles, which allows the serum to flow from the reservoir to the pump. The patient activates the pump and the mechanism starts up, filling the cylinders and simulating an erection.
- Malleable prosthesis: this type of prosthesis consists of two semi-rigid silicone cylinders. This prosthesis is manually operated, it is the patient who places the cylinders when he wants the penis to be erect.
The parts of the mechanism cannot be seen from the outside so no one can know that the patient is wearing a prosthesis. The surgery does not require general anesthesia and the hospitalization time is usually one day. The failure of the mechanism that can occur over the years is exceptional, as it has to be reopened and the damaged material removed.
Penile prostheses can be inserted via the scrotal route through a small incision in the scrotum or via the infrapubic route, just above the penis; both scars are about 3 cm long and disappear after a few months.
The degree of satisfaction of patients who wear a penile prosthesis is very high since they can have an erection on demand without the need for drugs and for as long as they wish. This allows them to recover their sexual life and that of their partner. In addition, more and more patients prefer to wear the prosthesis instead of always depending on drugs that in many cases do not provide them with an adequate erection, in addition to the side effects they have such as headaches, muscle pain or facial reddening.