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History of penile implants: from implants made of bone to modern inflatable penile implants

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 35, pages 601–608 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Penile prostheses are implantable devices used to definitively treat erectile dysfunction when previous forms of treatment have failed. The first example of a penile implant dates to 1935, when a rib was inserted in a neo-phallus reconstructed after a traumatic amputation. Since then, alternative artificial devices were adopted as penile prosthetic implants. The evolution of prosthetic devices had a dramatic thrust in 1973 when the first inflatable penile prosthesis was worldwide presented. Thanks to advances in device materials, design, surgical implant techniques, and perioperative management, nowadays inflatable penile prostheses are one of the most adopted definitive therapy for patients with drug-refractory erectile dysfunction or refusing alternative forms of treatments. Moreover, the clinical indications for inflatable penile prosthesis have also expanded, including female-to-male transmen or men underwent penile reconstruction due to congenital aphallia or traumatic or surgical penile amputation. In order to summarise the process behind the development and evolution of penile prosthesis, we aimed at performing a historical review of the currently available literature to provide an easy and comprehensive overview of the topic. The understanding of the historical process behind the evolution of inflatable penile prostheses will drive further innovation to increase efficiency and the rate of patients satisfaction.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Coloplast and Zephyr brands for the permission to publish figures related to the Titan Touch IPP model and the ZSI-475 FTM IPP model, respectively.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Alessandro Giordano, Francesco Smarrazzo.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, Urology Unit, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy

    Alessandro Giordano, Simone Cilio, Gianluigi Califano & Claudia Collà Ruvolo

  2. Urology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery, Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Baronissi, Italy

    Francesco Smarrazzo & Paolo Verze

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  1. Alessandro Giordano
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  2. Francesco Smarrazzo
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  4. Gianluigi Califano
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Contributions

Conception and design of the study: PV, GC, SC. Data acquisition: AG, FS. Analysis and interpretation of data: FS, AG, SC, GC, CCR. Drafting the manuscript: AG, FS, SC, PV. Style revision: GC, CCR, PV. All authors revised the manuscript and read and approved the version submitted.

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Correspondence to Simone Cilio.

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Giordano, A., Smarrazzo, F., Cilio, S. et al. History of penile implants: from implants made of bone to modern inflatable penile implants. Int J Impot Res 35, 601–608 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-023-00695-4

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