IPP placement is associated with improved penile length and width

Inflatable penile prostheses (IPP) from Boston Scientific and Coloplast were found to improve mean penile size, encompassing length and width measurements, compared with preoperative size measurements, researchers reported at the 2024 Sexual Medicine Society of North America Fall Scientific Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona.¹

Peter J. Arnold, MD, a urology resident at Indiana University in Indianapolis, presented the findings.

Peter J. Arnold, MD

“Penile length loss is one of the largest concerns that patients have when presenting for IPP surgery. It is also one of the most common concerns after surgery, as well. Previous studies have documented that greater than 70% of men report subjective loss of length after IPP surgery; however, long-term erectile dysfunction is most likely the culprit,” Arnold said.

Arnold and his colleagues sought to evaluate penile length and width before and after IPP placement. They also compared measurements among different prosthesis models.

Between December 2022 and May 2024, patients who underwent primary IPP placement were included in the study. The investigators included both Boston Scientific and Coloplast implants. Measurements were performed by the same surgeon immediately before and after IPP placement.

“Measurements were taken from the pubic bone to the tip of the glans in a straight line,” the authors wrote. “The initial measurements were taken with the penis maximally stretched, and the postoperative measurement was taken with the IPP fully inflated. The width was measured using the same flexible ruler at the base of the penis.”

A total of 151 patients were included in the study. Mean age was 64.4 years (SD, 9.8). Sixty (45.5%) patients had diabetes. Thirty-one (21.8%) patients had Peyronie disease, and 45 (30.8%) had previously undergone radical prostatectomy.

“Before and after implant, we noted a statistically significant increase in both the length and the girth,” Arnold said. Mean pre-implant length was 14.71 cm vs 15.24 post implant (P < .001). Mean pre-implant width was 3.59 cm vs 4.80 cm after implant (P < .001).

Arnold reported that increases in length and width were observed across all Boston Scientific and Coloplast implants included in the study. Taken together, all Boston Scientific implants were associated with an 0.57 cm increase in length and 1.26 increase in width. All Coloplast implants were associated with an 0.39 cm increase in length and a 1.16 cm increase in width.

“Penile size expectations continue to be an important point of preoperative counseling for these patients that are undergoing IPP placement. Recording the penile dimensions preoperatively, either in the clinic or the operating room, and comparing those post operatively with the patient, could be a next step in terms of improving patient satisfaction and minimizing patient dissatisfaction,” Arnold said in his concluding remarks.

REFERENCE

1. Arnold PJ, Rust JO, Pereira TA, Good J, Bernie HL. No, your penis is not smaller: a comparative analysis of pre and postoperative penile size measurements following inflatable penile prosthesis placement. Presented at: 2024 Sexual Medicine Society of North America Fall Scientific Meeting. October 17-20, 2024. Scottsdale, Arizona. Abstract 015