Male Prosthetics

What are male prosthetics?

Male prosthetics refers to penile implants — devices that are placed inside the penis to allow men with erectile dysfunction (ED) to achieve an erection.

Placing penile implants requires a surgical procedure. There are different types of penile implants. Inflatable implants are the most commonly used.

Inflatable implants can be inflated to create an erection and deflated at other times. Three-piece inflatable implants have a fluid-filled reservoir implanted under the abdominal wall, a pump, and a release valve that your urologist carefully places inside your scrotum. There are also two inflatable cylinders inside the penis.

To get an erection, you pump the fluid from the reservoir into the cylinders. You release the valve inside your scrotum to drain the fluid back into the reservoir. The two-piece model works similarly, but the fluid reservoir is part of the pump that’s implanted into the scrotum.

Why would I choose male prosthetics?

Your urologist typically recommends male prosthetics after other treatments for erectile dysfunction have been unsuccessful.

Male prosthetics might also be used to treat more severe cases of Peyronie’s disease — a condition involving scarring inside the penis that leads to curved and painful erections.

It’s important to remember that male prosthetics do allow you to achieve an erection, but they don’t enhance sexual desire or sensation or change your penis size.

What does male prosthetics surgery involve?

With male prosthetic surgery, you’re usually given general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia and IV antibiotics to prevent infection. Your surgeon also shaves your surgical site to reduce the risk of infection.

Your surgeon might insert a tube into your bladder through your penis to collect urine at some point during surgery. Your surgeon makes an incision below the head of your penis, at the base of the penis, or in the lower abdomen.

Your surgeon stretches the spongy tissue in the penis that would normally fill with blood during an erection. The tissue is inside each of the two hollow chambers (corpora cavernosa).

Your surgeon chooses the correct size implant and gently places the implant cylinders inside your penis. The sizes are customized to your exact body measurements.

When implanting a two-piece inflatable device, your surgeon places a pump and valve inside your scrotum. For a three-piece device, your surgeon also implants a fluid reservoir under your abdominal wall through an internal incision. After the device is in place, your surgeon sews the incisions closed.

To learn more about male prosthetics and how you could benefit, call Arizona Urology.