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Surgical Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

Exploring Your Treatment Options

Your doctor may suggest surgery to treat your erectile dysfunction or ED if other forms of therapy are not satisfactory.  

Surgery is generally used to accomplish one of the following goals:

  • Implanting a prosthetic device within the penis, which causes an erection

  • Reconstructing the arteries within the penis to increase blood flow, which helps to facilitate an erection

  • Blocking off veins within the penis that allow blood to leave the penis, which helps to maintain an erection



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Surgical Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

Exploring Your Treatment Options

Virtually any man who wishes to have an erection can obtain it, regardless of the underlying cause of his problem.

Many reasonable nonsurgical treatment options exist for erectile dysfunction (also called male impotence), including external vacuum devices, medications (oral and topical), hormonal therapy, penile injection therapy, and intraurethral pellet therapy. Sex counseling is another option and is discussed in Living With Erectile Dysfunction.

In selected cases and under the supervision of an experienced urologist who treats erectile dysfunction, therapy combining several of these methods can be used. If none of these therapies is satisfactory, surgical treatment, such as a penile prosthesis, can be considered.

External Vacuum Devices

Specially designed vacuum devices to produce erections have been used successfully for many years. Vacuum devices are safe, relatively inexpensive, and reliable....

Read the Nonsurgical Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction article »



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