The plug and patch: a new technique for repair of corporal perforation during placement of penile prostheses

Proximal corporal perforation is an uncommon intraoperative complication during placement of a penile prosthetic device. Unrecognized corporal perforation can result in migration or malfunction of the prosthesis. A windsock repair using a nonabsorbable mesh plug has been described. We describe a new technique called the plug and patch to treat this complication.

From July 1994 to May 1999, 175 patients underwent placement of a penile prosthesis at our institution. Of the patients 8 (4.5%) had proximal corporal perforation. Each perforation was repaired using our plug and patch technique. A 5x7 cm. polyglycolic acid patch was folded on itself and passed into the area of the corporal perforation to act as a plug. A solitary absorbable suture was placed affixing the tail of the patch to the corpora. The corpus was subsequently re-dilated and remeasured, and the prosthesis was placed as usual.

All 8 patients were satisfied with the penile prosthesis. There were no infectious complications or proximal migration of the prosthetic cylinders. The plug repair added an average of 6 minutes to the operating time. Only 1 patient had discomfort in the area of the repair, which resolved spontaneously approximately 6 weeks postoperatingly.

The plug and patch is a rapid and effective technique to repair intraoperating proximal corporal perforations. Potential advantages include shorter operating time, technical simplicity and the use of only absorbable materials. This technique may result in lower infection rates compared to the standard windsock repair.