Clinical experience with the Mentor Alpha-1 inflatable penile prosthesis: report on 65 patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the complications and prosthesis survival associated with implantation of the Mentor Alpha-1 inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED).


METHODS
Between August 1995 and March 2003, 65 patients underwent implantation of a Mentor Alpha-1 IPP at the Urological Departments of Skejby or Aalborg University Hospitals. Patient data were obtained retrospectively from medical files.


RESULTS
The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 96 months (median 48.5 months). Twenty-one patients (32%) experienced complications that required revision. The majority of complications consisted of mechanical problems, but infection was also a large contributor to the complication rate. Seven patients (11%) had the prosthesis permanently removed due to infection. Kaplan-Meier estimates of the 5-year prosthesis survival rates with and without successful revisions due to complications were 88% and 63%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The Mentor Alpha-1 IPP is an efficient treatment for ED in situations where less invasive therapy has failed. The risk of infection or mechanical failure must not be ignored. Patients should be informed of this risk before agreeing to implantation surgery.
Jensen
Jørgen Bjerggaard
JB
Department of Urology, Skejby Sygehus, Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark.
Larsen
Erik Højkjaer
EH
Kirkeby
Hans Jørgen
HJ
Jensen
Klaus Møller-Ernst
KM
D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019935:Penile Implantation; D015917:Penile Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013997:Time Factors