There’s Nowhere To Go But Up

Drug therapy, psychotherapy, and vacuum devices are only some of the prescribed options one can use to help with erectile dysfunction (ED). If you have tried all of the above, yet you still can’t get it up, don’t worry. There are still solutions out there for you. All you need is the proper information and a positive outlook. After all, there’s no way to go but up.

Have you ever considered surgery? If not, here are some helpful facts about the options available for you. When all else fails, doctors would recommend surgery for a patient for any one of the three goals: for implantation of a device to assist erection, to repair arteries that have been damaged to resume blood flow to the penis, or to block off leaky blood vessels which decrease the blood supply for penile tissues.

Devices that are surgically implanted into the male are called penile prostheses. There are mainly two types of penile prostheses, the malleable implant and the inflatable implant. According to users, the implants can improve the size and length of the penis, retain a natural feeling during intercourse, and has no harmful effect on their ability to ejaculate.

The malleable implants available, such as Acu-form, are rods that are inserted into the corpora cavernosa, which are the two chambers of tissue along the length of the penis. The rods can be manually adjusted by the user to produce a permanently firm penis.

The other type of prosthesis is the inflatable implant, such as Titan and Alpha 1. The device consists of a reservoir of fluid connected to cylinders inserted into the corpora cavernosa, and a pump placed inside the scrotal sac. The pump is operated by pressing the scrotal sac, so the reservoir fills the cylinders with fluid, inflating them and producing an erection. After intercourse, the pump is pressed again, draining the fluid from the cylinders back to the reservoir, causing them to deflate.

Regarding penile implants, there have been reported complications. Tissues around the implant may erode and cease to function. The device may undergo mechanical failure or may migrate within the body, requiring the need for re-operation or removal of the device. Once a patient has had a penile implant removed, there is a very low chance that he will have a natural erection.

Surgery for repair of blood vessels is usually done on patients who have had crotch injury or pelvic fractures. Repairing the arteries reestablishes the blood flow into the penis, allowing the patient to have an erection. In some cases, blood flow into the penis is normal, but veins may leak and drain out the blood supply for the penis. The surgical method performed is a ligation, in which the veins in the penis are intentionally blocked to avoid the leak. The procedure, however, is said to be rarely done, as the long-term effects are still under investigation. 

Severe ED, if unsolved by medications and psychotherapy, does call for surgery. Implants and surgery are risky and not to mention cost-effective, and no procedure has been said to be 100% fool-proof. Doctors will only recommend these procedures under the most extreme cases.