According to the, around 50% of men over the age of 50 suffer or will suffer from erectile dysfunction to varying degrees of intensity, “especially if they associate vascular risk factors”, adds the doctor Enrique Lledohead of the urology service at the Vithas Madrid La Milagrosa University Hospital and head of the Grupo AVANTE team of urologists at the Vithas Madrid Arturo Soria University Hospital.
Erectile dysfunction occurs when a man is unable to get or maintain an erection that is firm enough to have . When this occurs recurrently, the specialist recommends going to the family doctor or urologist in order to evaluate the situation.
The causes of this problem are many and varied. It can be caused by stress, hormonal, heart or circulation problems. Also obesity, diabetes or high cholesterol can cause sexual dysfunction.
sexual dysfunction can be treated
There are several treatment measures to alleviate this condition. Among the most common are performing moderate physical exercise, regulating the diet and controlling possible diseases, such as diabetes and diabetes.
“If they are not enough and there are no specific contraindications, a treatment with oral and/or topical medications is applied. In addition, it is recommended that patients with vascular risk factors and erectile dysfunction also be evaluated from a cardiology point of view,” says Dr. Lledó.
But when none of these therapies manage to eliminate the problem, there is one last option. A surgical treatment to implant a penile prosthesis.
What is it and how is a penile prosthesis implanted?
The doctor explains that the penile prosthesis is a device that allows the patient to achieve sufficient rigidity to be able to maintain satisfactory sexual relations.
It consists of some cylinders that are implanted, by means of a surgical intervention, inside the cavernous bodies, a reservoir that contains physiological serum and a pumping system in the scrotum that allows the device to be filled and emptied at will by the man and his couple.
“When the patient wants to have sexual intercourse, he activates the device by intermittent pulsation of the pump, which allows the liquid from the reservoir to pass into the cylinders, providing rigidity to the penis”, details the specialist.
It is a relatively simple intervention. To carry it out, the type of anesthesia applied to the patient can be general, spinal or laryngeal mask. After the operation, the man will only have to stay hospitalized for 24 hours.
But this surgical procedure has more advantages, since, according to Dr. Lledó, it is reversible. “Of course, if the patient is not satisfied with the implant, it can be removed, but it is not convenient due to the psychological and anatomical repercussions. The important thing is to speak exhaustively with him and give him all the precise information”.
Explain the treatment in an understandable way
Despite its simplicity and good results, Dr. Lledó points out that the demand for this treatment “is not as potentially widespread as it should be.” And the specialist believes that the real problem lies “in explaining it and making it known in a clear and understandable way.”
In this sense, he emphasizes that it is a “safe and satisfactory technique, and for which we have great specialists in Spain. For this reason, it is essential that patients know that the intervention is part of the usual protocol available to treat this condition”.
In addition, it stresses that the indication for the implant must always be made and agreed upon after a long conversation with the patient and their partner, explaining the risks and benefits, as well as the expectations.
“They must have extensive information and their questions and doubts must be answered and resolved in order to decide together. It is essential that the medical and nursing team accompany them before and during the intervention, as well as after they are discharged ”, she assures.
In this sense, Dr. Lledó maintains that, after discharge, the patient and his partner will not only have doubts and questions, but also the need to familiarize themselves with the device and its use.
“An adequate monitoring, training and information protocol will allow optimal results to be obtained, with satisfaction levels higher than 85-90%. And, consequently, evident improvements in the quality of life. We have means to help them. It is important that the person go to the doctor and that the specialists know the various treatment options and where to refer at all times ”, he concludes.