Management of impending penile prosthesis erosion with a polytetrafluoroethylene distal wind sock graft.

PURPOSE

Erosion of penile prostheses can be calamitous, often leaving patients unable to accommodate further implants. There is a paucity of literature describing impending erosion of penile prosthesis. We report on 5 patients with impending erosion of a penile prosthesis who underwent polytetrafluoroethylene distal wind sock graft placement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From 1993 to 1997, 5 patients with a mean age of 49 years and impending penile prosthesis erosion underwent 6 revisions using a polytetrafluoroethylene distal wind sock graft. Two patients underwent simultaneous bilateral grafts while 1 patient underwent separate right and left grafts 3 years apart. Indications for reconstruction included distal migration of the prosthetic cylinders into the glans in 4 patients and impingement of the distal urethra in 2. Of the patients 3 were spinal cord injured, 1 had lumbar radiculopathy and 1 had a history of pelvic irradiation. Inflatable prostheses were implanted in 4 patients, while 1 received a malleable prosthesis.

RESULTS

Patients underwent a mean of 1.5 penile prosthetic revisions (0 to 4) before diagnosis of impending erosion. An interval of 8 to 144 months (mean 66) elapsed from the most recent penile prosthesis insertion until distal wind sock graft placement. Mean operative time was 1 hour 51 minutes (1.3 to 2.5 hours). Mean hospital stay was 6.3 days (3 to 12). At a mean followup of 32 months (0.7 to 5.2 years) all patients had satisfactory and functional erections with no pain or evidence of impending erosion or penile prosthesis infection.

CONCLUSIONS

Erosion of a penile prosthesis can have disastrous consequences. We describe a safe and effective technique for managing impending penile prosthesis erosion using a polytetrafluoroethylene distal wind sock graft.