Late complications of spontaneous urethral erosion of a malleable penile prosthesis in a young patient

Ciftci H, Verit A, Savas M
Correspondence: Dr Halil Ciftci, halilciftci63@hotmail.com

ABSTRACT
While oral agents are currently suggested for the initial treatment of erectile dysfunction, penile prosthesis implantation (malleable or inflatable) is accepted as a third-line therapy if intracorporeal injection and intraurethral treatment fail as a secondary choice. Urethral erosion of the malleable penile prosthesis is a well-known complication, mostly due to the indwelling catheter. We report a case of urethral erosion of the malleable penile prosthesis after 23 years. The patient was a 45-year-old man without any underlying risk factors. He subsequently underwent a unilateral rod extraction under regional anaesthesia. It appears that urethral erosion of penile prostheses can appear at any time post operation, without any known facilitative factors and in any age group. Furthermore, simple office manoeuvres may not be possible in some patients.

Keywords: complication, erectile dysfunction, penile prosthesis, urethral erosion
Singapore Med J 2012; 53(6): e120–e121