With severe erectile dysfunction, no medicine will work. Is there any hope to “stand up”?
According to a chief physician, erectile dysfunction is divided into three-line treatment according to its severity and treatment effect. The first-line treatment is drug treatment. PDE-5 inhibitors are given on the basis of controlling the mental and psychological factors and the primary disease to improve the blood supply of the penis to achieve an erection.
However, if the drug treatment is ineffective, the clinic will adopt second-line treatment, including low-energy shock wave therapy, vacuum negative pressure suction, penile cavernous injection, etc., which are effective for some patients.
If the second-line treatment is not effective, the third-line treatment is necessary, namely the implantation of a penile prosthesis (also known as a “penile pacemaker”). The mechanism of penile erection is the congestion of the cavernous body in the penis. If the cavernous body cannot complete the process of congestion and erection, the doctor will adopt artificial means to implant two hollow prostheses in the cavernous body and put a water sac in the patient’s lower abdomen. Place a water pump on the scrotum. Once the patient needs an erection to complete their sexual life, they can squeeze the water pump to squeeze the water into the prosthesis to expand and achieve an erection. After sex is over, the water pump sucks the water back into the sac, and the penis returns to its original shape.
With the development of biomaterial technology, penile prostheses have strong adaptability and good concealment, which can reach a level equivalent to 90% of conventional erections. Patients with severe erectile dysfunction can consider this therapy. Of course, one of the main drawbacks of penile prosthesis implantation is the high price, which is only suitable for a small group of people.
