Erectile dysfunction is a common disorder affecting millions of men worldwide. It is defined by the inability to develop or maintain a erection that is appropriate for sexual intercourse. The treatments for ED are numerous, and some men even resort to penis surgery to attempt to overcome it. In this paper, we’ll explore why this is the case and whether or not penis surgery is effective in treating ED.
What is The Use of Penis Surgery?
A man can undergo penis surgery to battle ED for several reasons. It can stem in large part from an attempt to restore or improve sexual function. Many men view the capacity to erection or have an erection as one of the fundamental aspects of being a man, and might feel desexed by losing this role. Thus, they can resort to penis surgery to re-establish their sexual self-worth and performance.
One of the main reasons for choosing penis surgery is that you think it is an enduring solution to ED. Although prescription drugs like Viagra and Cialis can treat ED, they work only briefly and must be consumed before sex. In contrast, penis surgery is supposed to treat the cause of ED and solve the problem in the long run.
Men can also resort to penis surgery because they are dissatisfied with other ED options. Penis injections and vacuum pumps, for example, are effective but can also be painful and inconvenient. Further, these interventions may not work for every man, and some men look for something more stable.
Effectiveness of Penis Surgery in ED Management?
For ED, the procedure to repair the penis is usually either penile implants or vascular surgery. Penile implants involves placing a piece of equipment into the penis to produce an erection if desired. By contrast, vascular surgery tries to increase blood supply to the penis, a frequent site of ED.
Many researchers concluded that penile implants helped in curing ED. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine reported that 93 per cent of men who underwent penile implant surgery were satisfied with their sexual function. Further, penile implants were successful in ED in men who had not responded to other interventions, according to a 2019 study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research.
Vascular surgery, too, has had encouraging results in ED. According to a 2016 report in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, 71% of men who underwent vascular surgery for ED reported a decline in erectile function. Moreover, according to a study in 2020 in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, most men who underwent vascular surgery for ED reported improved erectile function and sexual life satisfaction.
Risks and Considerations
Penis surgery can be a good way to manage ED, but it is not risk-free.
ED Risks and Benefits of Penile Surgery:
Penile surgery is a viable alternative for treating ED, but it is not without dangers and pitfalls. The potential complications include:
1. Disease: Infection is a potential problem with any surgery, especially penile surgery. Infection rate following implantation of a penile prosthesis is typically 1-5%, though in some cases it was as high as 8%. The infection may be present at the surgical site or deep in the implant tissue. Diabetes, obesity, smoking, and history of urinary tract infections are all risk factors for infection.
Perioperative infections are difficult to manage, requiring longer courses of antibiotics, or sometimes revision surgery or removal of the implant. There’s the psychological, not just the physical pain and potential complications of infection. Men who get infected after their penile surgery may feel betrayed, since the operation designed to boost libido has turned out to have led them into further medical problems.
2. Mechanical Failure: In penile prosthesis implanted patients, mechanical failure can occur as often as 5-10% in the first five years. You could need reconstructive surgery to replace the implant.
3. Erosion: Skin erosion of the penile prosthesis can lead to infection and failure of the device. Erosion is more common in patients who are implanted with semi-rigid prosthesis than with inflatable prosthesis.
4. Scarring: Another potential side effect of penile surgery is scarring. Insufficient scarring might cause the penis to curve and make sex uncomfortable or difficult. Moreover, scarring can also swell the tissue around the implant, resulting in the device not working properly or requiring resection.
Scarring may occur near the surgical site or inside the corporal bodies, the cylindrical cylinders of the penis that pump blood through the arched period. Scar tissue that grows on the corporal organs can develop into what is called Peyronie’s disease, which causes an bent or bent penis when having an erection. Damage to the corporal bodies can also contribute to ED, which makes penile surgery an authoritarian intervention for the condition it is designed to prevent.
5. Neurological Injury: Nerve damage may happen during surgery causing numbness and weakness of the penis.
6. Vascular complications: During the process of vascular reconstruction surgery, there can be bleeding and arterial damage.
7. Limited sexual satisfaction: Though penile surgery might increase erectile function, it may not give you sexual satisfaction. Sexual satisfaction can also be influenced by relationships and mental illness.
Conclusion:
In short, even if there are various treatment options for ED, men undergo penis surgery in an attempt to cure it. Causes, among them, are the return of sexual function, an expectation of its efficacy, and unhappiness with other treatments. Penile implants and vascular surgery both appear to be promising ED therapies, but they are dangerous and subject to some restrictions. After all, any penis surgery to cure ED must be decided after every factor and advice from the physician.
