Irish men mostly happy with their 'gold standard' erectile dysfunction treatment, new study finds 

Authors of a new paper published in the 'Irish Medical Journal' said the penile prosthesis insertion was viewed by urologists as 'the gold standard surgical treatment option' for men with erectile dysfunction. File picture

Irish men who have received the 'gold standard' and rare surgical treatment for erectile dysfunction are overwhelmingly satisfied with the outcome, according to a new paper published in the Irish Medical Journal. 

‘A 10 year audit of Penile Prosthesis Insertion’ reviews the attitudes of all men here who received a penile prosthesis (PP) insertion between 2008-2017.

The authors said at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital  the most frequently implanted device was a three-piece inflatable PP.

They said the PP insertion was viewed by urologists as "the gold standard surgical treatment option" for men with erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction in the general male population is in the region of 40% for those aged 40 and 70% for those aged 70, according to the authors.

Viagra

Pfizer’s treatment for erectile dysfunction, Viagra, has generated billions of dollars for the company since it was introduced in 1998. The drug is now off-patent and generic versions are now widely available.

However, the IMJ paper authors said that despite the offer of alternative medical therapies for ED, PPs “remain a very relevant treatment option”.

The authors – led by Aisling Looney at the Department of Urology at Beaumont Hospital – said PP insertion was considered effective but has a well-documented array of complications.

The survey found 61 male patients – or 86% of those who responded – “were satisfied with their PP”.

It found 37 men were “very satisfied” and 25 just "satisfied".

The paper reports that 13 patients, or 13.5% of those who participated, required device revision, the majority for device failure while 12 patients – or 12.5% of those who participated – developed peri-operative complications.

Only three patients were very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with their outcome and two of those suffered device failure.

The authors said 111 PPs were inserted into 96 patients here over the 2008 to 2017 time period.

Prostate cancer

The largest group in the cohort was those men who had surgery for prostate cancer.

The median age of those who availed of the procedure was 60 years of age while the median length of hospital stay for patients was 2.6 days.

All patients are issued with a device identification card which they are advised to carry on their person.

The authors said the results demonstrate complication rates in line with internationally published data and that patients should be adequately counselled regarding possible complications, including device failure and erosion.

“PP insertion should be considered for suitable patients with refractory erectile dysfunction,” the authors said, adding that, since their appearance in 1970, significant progress has been made in improving the reliability and quality of PP devices and in making them more user friendly.