Penile prosthesis implantation for treatment of postpriapism erectile dysfunction

Our aim was to evaluate the procedure and outcome of penile prosthesis surgery in the treatment of men with postpriapism erectile dysfunction.

During the period between 1997 and 2004, a total of 17 patients with postpriapism erectile dysfunction underwent penile prosthesis implantation at our institution. Prosthesis implantation was done electively 6 to 18 months after priapism, when the patients presented with erectile dysfunction. Of the prosthesis implanted, 11 were malleable, 4 were 2-piece, and 2 were 3-piece prostheses (AMS, Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA).

All the 17 patients were successfully implanted with penile prosthesis. Intra-operatively, corporeal dilation was difficult due to extensive corporeal fibrosis, which led to urethral injury in 2 patients. There were no major postoperative complications. The median hospital stay was 5 days. The follow-up period ranged from 2 to 9 years (median, 6 years). All the patients were satisfied with the prosthesis.

Penile prosthesis implantation is the modality of treatment for patients with postpriapism erectile dysfunction at our institution. It has a high patient satisfaction rate. Although procedure-related complications are common due to corporeal fibrosis, they were mostly minor ones and did not affect the outcome of the procedure.