Clinical experience with Dynaflex penile prostheses in 120 patients.

OBJECTIVES

To present our experience with the Dynaflex (American Medical Systems) self-contained inflatable penile prosthesis and define specific complication and patient dissatisfaction rates.

METHODS

From May 1990 through January 1998, 120 men underwent implantation of a Dynaflex prosthesis. The follow-up period ranged from 2 to 80 months (mean 42).

RESULTS

Specific complication rates observed after penile prosthesis implantation were as follows: prosthetic infection, 4.16%; mechanical device failure, 7.5%; and patient dissatisfaction because of inability to work the pump, 16.66%. After intensive teaching, the patient dissatisfaction rate dropped to 0.83%. The overall complication rate was 14.15%.

CONCLUSIONS

With several types of penile prostheses available, Dynaflex can be regarded as an appropriate alternative with a relatively low mechanical failure rate. However, careful preoperative assessment and patient education in the use of the pump mechanism are essential to obtain a successful result.