Surgery for impotence.

The role of surgery in the treatment of impotence has greatly increased during the last 5 years. The recognition and surgical correction of those mechanical derangements of the penis that prevent coitus have enabled many men to resume or commence intercourse. Men with irreversible impotence usually find it possible to resume coitus following the insertion of a Silastic penile prosthesis. The need to diagnose organic impotence has in turn stimulated the development of new diagnostic techniques and these have increased our knowledge of the pathophysiology of erectile function.