Urethral Perforation During Penile Implant Surgery: What to Do?

Surgical tips in difficult penile prosthetic surgery: a narrative review

Penile prosthesis implantation continues to represent a reliable solution to address erectile dysfunction when oral medications fail, are not tolerated or are contraindicated, and most typically is associated with excellent satisfaction rates and durable results. Despite the dramatic improvements in the prostheses' design, in the surgical instruments and techniques over the years, certain categories of patients still pose a significant surgical challenge. The aim of the current review is to provide a quick and useful practical guidance based on our expertise in the identification and management of the difficult penile prosthesis implantation cases. A narrative review design was here preferred to fulfil our purpose. The search strategy included a range of terms, e.g. penile prosthesis, corporal fibrosis, infection, ischaemic priapism, Peyronie's disease, radical prostatectomy, pelvic surgery. Extensive corporal fibrosis after explantation of an infected device or after prolonged ischaemic priapism may represent the most difficult situations to deal with in penile prosthesis implantation surgery. Penile prosthesis implantation in patients with Peyronie's disease and in those who previously underwent radical prostatectomy also presents with an increased risk of complications. Experienced surgeons need to be able to recognise promptly and manage urethral perforation, cylinder crossover, tunical perforation and erosion, as these complications are more common when dealing with difficult penile prosthesis implantation cases. Applying penile lengthening techniques and principles can be useful in selected cases to ensure better postoperative satisfaction rates, especially in those patients who have experienced a more significant degree of loss of length preoperatively. High-volume-implanting surgeons should always be involved in complex cases to minimise the risk of complications. A thorough preoperative counselling can set realistic patients' expectations in this context, further contributing to postoperative satisfaction.

Penile implant surgery-managing complications

Penile prosthesis surgery represents the end-stage treatment for erectile dysfunction. It is conventionally used only in cases of erectile dysfunction refractory to pharmacological treatments or vacuum constriction devices. Contemporary literature suggests that penile prothesis surgery is associated with a high satisfaction rate and a low complication profile. However, it must be appreciated that the complications of surgery can have devastating consequences on a patient’s quality of life and satisfaction and include infection, prosthesis malfunction, penile corporal perforation and penile length loss. Several factors – such as appropriate patient selection, methodical preoperative assessment and patient optimization, specific intraoperative protocols and postoperative recommendations – can reduce the risk of surgical complications. This narrative review discusses the diagnosis and management of both intraoperative and postoperative complications of penile prosthesis surgery.