Hope at last for erection woes
Jeremiah Kiplang’at
Kenya yesterday registered a milestone in the medical field after the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi performed a penile implant to treat erectile dysfunction, the first of its kind be successfully conducted in East and Central Africa.
A man in his 40s, who was said to have been suffering from erectile dysfunction—commonly referred to as ED in medical circles - for a number of years was the beneficiary of the procedure that saw him regain the full powers to perform conjugal duties.
ED is described as the inability by a man to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance.
The patient had previously been put on other treatment modalities but was not responsive.
“The procedure takes about an hour and involves implanting a prosthesis device in the penis. The advantage of this surgery is that the man can have intercourse anytime they like without using medication,” explains Dr Ahmed Yousef, a Consultant Urologist and the lead surgeon for the procedure.
Yousef said that the tests conducted on the patient including a penile doppler ultrasound showed that he had severe venous leakage causing the problem and an implant was the ideal treatment for the patient.
He said the procedure will also help deal with premature ejaculation, another challenge most men grapple with during intercourse.
Dysfunction condition
“Through this procedure his erectile dysfunction condition has been treated. If he had an issue with premature ejaculation, it will also be treated by this procedure,” the doctor said.
The hospital said it was the first time the procedure was being conducted in the region adding it required “a rare specialised expertise, a sub-specialty in urology.”
The procedure that costs between Sh800,000 and Sh1million is expected to give men struggling to power their sex fresh hope as they seek to regain their dignity.
It is estimated that about 15-20 percent of men suffer from erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation but many would rather battle the condition in silence than seek treatment.
According to John Hopkins Hospital Medicine, in 1995 over 152 million men worldwide experienced ED with the figure set to go up to 322 million by 2025.
On its website https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org ED could be linked to a number of causes including diabetes, depression, drug abuse
“Erectile Dysfunction is common in people with diabetes,” the website indicates.
The website says the penile implant is attempted only after other treatment procedures have failed. “Infection is the most common cause of penile implant failure and occurs less that 2 percent of the time.
Implants are usually not considered until other methods of treatment have been tried but they have a very high patient satisfaction rate and are an excellent treatment choice in the appropriate patient,” the website adds.
Most of the ED cases are categorized as secondary. This is when a man develops the disease when they have been having normal erections. The one reported to be rare is primary ED where one has never achieved an erection.
