Penile implant

The malleable penile prosthesis is a set of rods implanted into the corpora of the penis. The rods are hard, but are 'malleable' in the sense that they can be adjusted manually into the erect position.[2]

The inflatable penile implant, more recently developed, uses a pump system. Saline from a small reservoir, implanted in the lower abdomen, is moved by manual pressure on a small pump, located, with the relief valve, in the scrotum. The saline is then pumped into bilateral chambers implanted in the shaft of the penis, which replace the non- or minimally-functioning erectile tissue. This produces an erection. The glans of the penis, however, remains unaffected. Ninety to ninety five percent of inflatable prostheses produce erections suitable for sexual intercourse. In the United States, the inflateable prothesis has largely replaced the malleable one, due to its lower rate of infections, high device survival rate and 80-90% satisfaction rate.[3]