Complication and Explantation Rates of Penile Prostheses in Transmasculine Patients: A Meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: To synthesize current literature on penile prosthesis implantation post-gender affirming phalloplasty to correlate implant types and complication rates.

Methods: A meta-analysis of penile prosthesis in transmasculine patients was initiated in December 2022. Inclusion criteria encompassed randomized clinical trials, cohort studies, and cross-sectional studies reporting on penile prosthesis complications post-gender-affirming phalloplasty. Exclusion criteria were review articles, meta-analyses, studies that exclusively reported on cisgender patients or surgeries other than penile prosthesis implantation. An initial search of 5 databases yielded a total of 1593 articles. Upon screening, 15 full-text articles were eligible for inclusion. Nine studies were included in the analysis.

Results: The overall complication rate for the inflatable prosthesis group was 38% (95% CI: 21, 59) and for the malleable prosthesis group was 37% (95% CI: 18, 62). The most probable complications in the inflatable group were infection (14.5%), dysfunction (12.9%), dislocation (5.7%), and leakage (5.4%). The most probable complications in the malleable group were dislocation (14.9%), infection (11.2%), dysfunction (9.1%), and extrusion (7.6%). There was no significant difference in the probability of any complications between the malleable and inflatable prosthesis groups. The best estimate of explantation rates for any reason for the inflatable group was 19% (95% CI: 9, 38) and for the malleable group 13% (95% CI: 4, 33). There was no significant difference in the probability of any reason for explantation between the malleable and inflatable prosthesis groups.