Penile Prosthesis

The average procedure takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes. Patients stay overnight with a urethral catheter and bandages. The urethral catheter is removed 6am the next morning and the bandages removed shortly after. Men can shower that day the stitches are dissolving so no sutures need to be removed.

Any surgical procedure has some degree of risk. Bleeding and haematoma are possible after this procedure but the risks are very low. The most feared complication of penile prosthesis surgery is infection but the risk is 1-2 %. There are other rarer complications such as migration of one of the components such as the reservoir or the cylinder but this can be surgically corrected.

These implants are very robust and the vast majority of them last longer than ten years. There is however a risk of mechanical failure and if that were to happen, the device would need to be removed and replaced. The implant is a closed system and there is no maintenance such as fluid replacement required

The devices are MRI compatible and completely discrete. They also can’t be detected during airport screening. The implant is also not externally visible to people but the pump can be felt in the scrotum. The penile implant cylinder can hold the penile shaft out to length, it does not look erect however is more prominent in its flaccid state which can make urinating easier especially if a man has lost length as a result of erectile dysfunction

Penile length can be a complex topic. If a patient has erectile dysfunction, loss of length is a real issue, particularly if Peyronie’s disease is present as well. Dr Campbell will do everything possible to not lose any more length. Unfortunately, he cannot oversize the cylinders as this leads to buckling and other complications.

The penile implant cylinders can be adjusted in increments of 0.5 cm to meet the required length. If the implant ever needs to be revised for whatever reason, it is quite common to be able to increase the length and size of the implant. A penile prosthesis should not be used as a lengthening solution though.

Most patients are able to start having intercourse again six weeks after their procedure or as soon as they feel comfortable to do so.

In general, there’s no reason why your implant should accidentally deflate during intercourse because it requires specific pressure to release the valve.