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. 2022 Oct 15;21(2):76-81.
doi: 10.1080/2090598X.2022.2135290. eCollection 2023.

Early versus delayed penile prosthesis insertion for refractory ischemic priapism

Baher Salman  1 , Eid Elsherif  1 , Mohamed Elgharabawy  1 , Atef Badawy  1
Affiliations

Early versus delayed penile prosthesis insertion for refractory ischemic priapism

Baher Salman et al. Arab J Urol. .

Abstract

Objectives: Penile prosthesis insertion is a well-established therapeutic option in refractory ischemic priapism but there is a lack of standardization regarding the timing of surgery, the type of prosthesis (malleable or inflatable), as well as the possible complications. In this study, we retrospectively compared early versus delayed penile prosthesis insertion in patients with refractory ischemic priapism.

Methods: 42 male patients who presented with refractory ischemic priapism during the period between January 2019 and January 2022 were included in this study. All patients had malleable penile prosthesis insertion by four highly experienced consultants. Patients were divided into two groups based on the time of the prosthesis insertion. 23 patients had immediate insertion of the prosthesis within the first week of the onset of priapism while the remaining 19 patients had delayed prosthesis insertion three months or later after the onset of priapism. The outcome as well as the intra- and the postoperative complications were recorded.

Results: Postoperative complications such as prosthesis erosion and infection were higher among the early insertion group while the delayed insertion group had higher incidence of intraoperative complications such as corporal perforation and urethral injury. The insertion of the prosthesis was much more difficult among the delayed insertion group due to fibrosis which made dilatation of the corpora very difficult. The length and the width of the penile implant were significantly higher among the early insertion group as compared to the delayed insertion group.

Conclusions: Early penile prosthesis insertion for refractory ischemic priapism is a safe and effective treatment option as delayed prosthesis insertion is more difficult and challenging due to corporal fibrosis and is associated with higher complication.

Keywords: Priapism; erectile dysfunction; penile prosthesis.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Ascending urethrogram after 3 weeks of urethral injury during prosthesis insertion.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Imminent penile prosthesis perforation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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