Complications of penile prostheses in the spinal cord injury population

A total of 63 spinal cord injury patients underwent penile implantation. Followup ranged from 6 months to 11 years (average 41 months). A semirigid device was used in 53 patients with complications dictating loss of the prosthesis in 17 (33 per cent). The most common complication was spontaneous erosion and most of these occurred after 6 months. Of the 17 patients 8 underwent reimplantation with loss of the prosthesis in 3. Ten patients received an inflatable penile prosthesis and 4 of these were lost. Of the 4 uninfected patients 2 underwent successful reimplantation. Overall, the complication rate in the 63 patients was 33 per cent. After reimplantation 52 of the 63 patients have a functional device, resulting in an ultimate success rate of 82 per cent. In conclusion, penile prostheses have greatly benefited spinal cord injury patients with problems such as sexual dysfunction, maintenance of external appliances and decreasing the rate of skin lacerations. However, these benefits must be weighed against a significant complication rate.