Psychosocial follow-up of penile prosthesis implant patients and partners

Abstract

One to four years after penile prosthesis surgery, detailed medical and psychosocial interviews were conducted separately with 52 patients and 22 of their partners. Patients tended to be negative or disappointed about postoperative pain, penis size, postoperative sexual frequency, and prosthesis malfunctions. Positive comments emphasized the psychological benefits of renewed masculine self-esteem, repair of humiliation, and reduction of marital guilt. Most patients said they would have the surgery again. Partners corroborated patients' assessments of psychological benefits, but tended to rate the mechanical benefits of the prosthesis somewhat lower. Methodological difficulties in measuring satisfaction with the prosthesis and suggestions for future follow-up research are emphasized in the discussion.