Penile prosthetic trends in the era of effective oral erectogenic agents

Before the introduction of sildenafil for the treatment of erectile dysfunc tion (ED), penile implants were recognized as the most effective, though mo st invasive, therapy with a high satisfaction rate. We compared and evaluat ed trends in penile prosthesis procedures at a tertiary referral center bef ore and after the introduction of sildenafil. We retrospectively reviewed t he clinical records of 561 implant procedures over the past 10 years to cat egorize the operations (eg, simple/"virgin" implant, replacement, revision, removal) and to establish the duration, severity, and complexity of the ED . No significant change was found in the number of penile implant procedure s done annually. Both complexity of the procedures and severity of illness increased. A downward trend was seen in the number of simple penile prosthe ses implanted. Our data suggest that, with an aging population both aware o f and requesting therapy for ED, the number of penile implantations will re main stable or increase, especially at centers specializing in ED treatment .