What surgeries are available for erectile dysfunction?
Surgery for erectile dysfunction is, of course, considered a last resort. All of the other available therapies should be at least attempted before any of these surgical options are entertained. The first, more common, of the two operations that are available for most individuals include placement of a penile implant. There are one piece, two piece, and three piece implants. That is, the two and three piece being inflatable in nature and the one piece being malleable or bendable. The operation is done under a general anaesthetic and it takes approximately six weeks to recover. It's an uncomfortable procedure post-operatively and destroys the integrity of the penis in the sense that once you have an implant placed, you can no longer go back and utilize any of the other techniques for correcting or improving erectile dysfunction. Additionally, there is vascular bypass surgery, where an operation is performed to improve the blood flow to the penis. However, these particular operations are only performed in referral centres around the country, of which there are only a few, and the problem with those operations is that they are fraught with complications and frequently do not accomplish the goal of improving blood flow to the penis.
