Today, men have a range of options when it comes to inflatable penile prostheses. But as Dr. Andrew Kramer urologist specialist and penile implant surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland has observed in his many years of practice, any one type of implant won’t meet everybody’s expectations, and what brings one patient satisfaction may disappoint another.
This was the situation with one patient who sought out Dr. Andrew Kramer Urology for assistance regarding his Boston Scientific AMS CXR implant.
An unsuitable implant
Most modern penile implants share the same three components: a fluid-filled reservoir inserted into the abdomen; a pair of cylinders placed within the penis; and a pump positioned just under the scrotal skin. These components vary in size depending on the make and model of the implant.
A well-trained and experienced surgeon will use the appropriate implant and implant component sizes to ensure their patient’s satisfaction.
Therefore, when a functional implant fails to meet a patient’s expectations, it’s often because a less-than-ideal implant was chosen for the treatment, or one or more of the aforementioned components weren’t positioned properly within the patient’s scrotum, penis, or abdomen.
With the patient in question, there were problems with all three components: the reservoir didn’t have enough fluid, the narrow tips of the cylinders were uneven, and the pump was positioned slightly higher along the penis shaft than was necessary. Therefore, while the implant functioned, it failed to meet the patient’s specific needs.
To solve the patient’s problems, Dr. Andrew Kramer Urology opted to replace the CXR implant with a larger Coloplast Titan implant.
The switch
Swapping one implant for another isn’t as complex as it sounds, according to Dr. Andrew Kramer Urology.
First, it was necessary to ensure the narrow space filled by the CXR was upsized to accommodate the Titan’s size. This was achieved by pumping up the CXR’s reservoir. Incisions were then made to the patient’s tissue and the CXR removed.
The Titan was inserted into the cavities voided by the CXR. Dr. Andrew Kramer Urology ensured the replacement implant’s cylinder tips were symmetrical in the penis and moved all the way up to mid-glans. Fewer rear tips were also used.
The Titan’s larger cloverleaf reservoir was also filled with a suitable amount of fluid and the pump positioned much lower along the penis shaft.
Only after Dr. Andrew Kramer Urology was confident the Titan was working properly were the wounds stitched closed.
Thanks to the Titan’s larger size, the patient’s penis saw a massive upgrade in girth and length.
Using the right implant
The penile implant continues to prove to be an effective treatment for male impotence—a sexual dysfunction that’s far more common than most people think.
However, the case outlined above proves that the replacement of an inflatable penile implant is sometimes necessary to ensure a patient’s satisfaction.
It also demonstrates the importance of finding the right surgeon to work with. An inexperienced surgeon is more likely to make mistakes when choosing an implant for a patient, and when positioning the implant’s components within the patient’s tissue.
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