[The inflatable penile prosthesis. Experiences apropos of 58 implants]

Prosthetic surgery for impotence has been transformed by the development of inflatable prostheses in the place of older semirigid models. Despite the popularity of this new technique, it raises certain questions concerning the functional results and complications of this surgery, which have only occasionally been studied concomitantly in the literature. The sexuality of patients has generally been evaluated on the basis of answers to a questionnaire sent to the patients. This study reports our experience, compared to the data in the literature, based on 58 insertions of inflatable prosthesis between October 1987 and October 1991. After rigorous patient selection and a mean follow-up of 30 months, the surgeon evaluated the objective results (mechanical functioning of the prosthesis, complications) and subjective results (sexuality) in 51 patients. 69.4% of patients presented an anomaly of prosthesis function, 10.3% developed an infection of the prosthesis, 34.5% required removal of the prosthesis, 59% declared that they were satisfied sexually and sexual activity was restored in 55%. This study therefore appears to contradict the optimistic data reported in the literature.