Erectile dysfunction (ED) and Peyronie’s disease can both significantly impact your sexual health. While there are multiple treatments available, if those first-line options aren’t effective, you might be wondering what else can be done to restore sexual function.
When more conservative approaches like prescription medications aren’t successful in addressing ED, Peyronie’s disease, or both, undergoing penile implant surgery could be the solution.
But with multiple implant options to choose from, how do you know which type is right for you?
Paul Chung, MD, FACS, and our team in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, understand that it can be frustrating when treatment options that you’ve tried in order to restore a satisfying sex life have been ineffective.
In this month’s blog, we discuss what you need to know about each penile implant type to help you make a fully informed decision before undergoing implant surgery.
An inflatable penile device is an implant made of multiple components, including cylinders, tubes, a pump, and a saline pouch. During surgery, Dr. Chung places two cylinders inside your penis and places tubes to connect them to a pump in your scrotum and a saline pouch in your lower abdomen.
To use the device, you activate the pump in your scrotum to send the saline from the pouch into the cylinders inside your penis. The saline gives your penis the firmness needed and desired for sex.
Even after having sex, your penis will stay erect for as long as desired. Your penis will only become flaccid after you deactivate the device.
While inflatable devices are more natural and allow for spontaneous erections, there are risks that the device could malfunction.
A semi-rigid rod implant is a rod covered in silicone that Dr. Chung implants directly into your penis.
The rod allows you to move your penis into an erect position in order to have sex, and then you place your penis back down afterwards. With this device, your penis always maintains the same firmness and doesn’t require any inflation or deflation.
Implant surgery for semi-rigid rods tends to be much quicker and doesn’t require as much recovery time. It can also be a beneficial option if you have more limited dexterity. However, semi-rigid rods aren’t as natural as inflatable devices since your penis will always be slightly rigid.
Penile implants aren’t the first treatment when trying to address issues with getting or maintaining erections (ED).
However, if medications and therapies have proven unsuccessful, Dr. Chung and our team can sit down with you to discuss penile implants. Dr. Chung discusses the advantages and risks involved with each implant type and the surgical process to ensure you choose which is right for you.
To learn more about penile implants or any of our other treatments for ED or Peyronie’s disease, schedule an appointment with our team by calling your nearest office location today.
