Know Your Patient and Communicate Realistic Expectations, Dr. Sadeghi-Nejad and IPP Experts Advise

What should less experienced surgeons know about penile implant procedures?

In a plenary session for the American Urological Association (AUA) held virtually September 12th, moderator Dr. Hossein Sadeghi-Nejad (of the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and Hackensack University Medical Center) and two colleagues, Dr. Tobias Kohler (of the Mayo Clinic) and Dr. John J. Mulcahy (of the University of Arizona), discussed tips based on their years of experience as implanters of inflatable penile prostheses (IPPs).

The panelists, along with Dr. Stephen K. Wilson (of the Institute for Urologic Excellence), published a summary of the session in the September 2021 edition of AUA News. Here are some highlights:

Healthcare providers should take the time to get to know patients, build rapport with them, and understand their situation.

Patients should also be aware that penile implants don’t necessarily improve relationships. Conflicts can still play a role in sexual dysfunction.

Providers can help their patients by providing detailed booklets or other documents that describe the implant procedure, use of the device, and what to expect afterward.

Experienced implanters should be skilled in both penoscrotal (via the penis and scrotum) and suprapubic (via the abdomen, above the pubic bone) approaches to implantation.

Revision surgeries should be considered carefully, unless the implant is infected or unusable. It can take time for a patient to get used to their device.

AUA members can find the plenary session summary here: https://aua2021.app.swapcard.com/event/aua-2021-annual-meeting-1/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNjY0NzEy.