IMPLANTS SURGERY: COMPARING THE IMPLANTS
Semirigid Implants
Benefits
• The surgery can be performed under a local anesthetic, often on an outpatient basis.
• The recovery time is typically shorter than with the inflatables, because the surgery is less extensive.
• There is less chance of complications.
• There are no mechanical parts which can fail.
• These implants usually cost less.
Drawbacks
• The implant is more difficult to conceal since it is always erect. Some men may be embarrassed in locker room situations.
• Generally, the semirigid implants are less firm and smaller in circumference than an inflatable prosthesis when erect.
• Although the overall complication rate is lowerthan for inflatables, there is a small chance that the semirigid implant will”travel” within the penis, popping out of the corpora cavernosa. This situation can be corrected, but it does require removal of the implant and another operation.
Newer Inflatable Implants: Hydroflex and Flexi-Flate
Benefits
• The implant is similar to the semirigid type in its advantages: a short operating time, minimal postoperative complications, a short hospital stay or surgery on an outpatient basis.
• The implant is more concealable than the semirigid type.
• Total cost for the surgery may run less than that of other inflatables because of reduced hospital time, although the prosthesis itself is more expensive than semirigids or other types of inflatables.
Drawbacks
• The mechanical parts of the implant can fail. These new types haven’t been around long enough for anyone to know the long-term failure rate.
• The Flexi-Flate is deflated by bending it down towards the stomach. This limits the number of positions in which to have intercourse. For example, the woman-on-top position may not work because it causes the penis to bend down and thus deflate.
• The erection provided by the implant is like the erection of a semirigid prosthesis in that it doesn’t increase the diameter of the penis or the length, but only makes it harder and more rigid.
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