Surgical Treatment

Implants

Penile implants are a final option reserved for men who have not had any success with the drug and non-invasive options above.

These prostheses are surgically placed mechanical implants, taking the form of a device inflated by fluid when needed, or one that is simply moved into the upward position but keeps the penis hard at all times while not upright.

The most complex of these implants is the three-piece version that is totally concealed within the body and gives a normal appearance, both when in operation and for the flaccid penis. It is triggered by a release valve that fills the implant with fluid.

Guidelines drawn up by Dr. GautamBanga have outlined the following risks to consider when planning to have implant surgery:

• The possibility and consequences of infection and erosion (“infection is a devastating complication of any prosthetic surgery” but anti-infection measures applied to implants have improved)
• Mechanical failure of the device, which would need another operation
• How the normal flaccid and erect penis will appear, and whether there will be “penile shortening”
• If the device is subsequently removed, other therapies may have reduced effectiveness.

When other treatments do not improve ED, your health care provider may offer you surgery. Surgeries that help treat ED are penile implant surgery and surgeries to fix problems with blood vessels in the penis. Fixing blood vessels only helps in very specific cases.