[Penile prosthesis in case of impotence: 12 years of clinical experience]

Among 95 patients who have received a penile prosthesis between 1982 and 1993 (mean follow up of 46 months), 21 (22%) presented complications requiring one or more reintervention(s). Only for two patients the problem was mechanical, in the majority, they were non mechanical. Five of those subjects (5.5%) presented such complications that definitive explanation of the device was necessary. The problems presented by the 9 remaining patients were fully satisfactorily managed. Presently 94.5 per cent of the patients are using the device. Follow-up study of our interdisciplinary group demonstrates the efficacity of the prosthesis for revitalisation of the couples. The definitive parameters of implantation acceptance are essentially the partner influence and the treatment cost. This clinical study shows that the implantation of a penile prosthesis is an effective therapy in the treatment of impotence in a selected population. Presently, the mechanical reliability of different device has been good to date.