Penile prosthesis coating and the reduction of postoperative infection

Despite the recent development of effective oral agents for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, penile prosthesis implantation remains an effective and acceptable treatment for the significant number of men who fail to respond to nonsurgical therapy. The most serious complication that can affect the use of most prosthetic devices is infection. In penile prostheses, this can be devastating and frequently results in removal of the device despite aggressive antibiotic therapy. In recent years, new strategies have been developed in an attempt to minimize this risk. This review focuses on one such method, namely the use of an antibiotic coating on the device. It reviews recent published data regarding the effectiveness of such devices at decreasing infection rates.