Prostatectomy Erection Rehab

Problems with erectile dysfunction post-prostatectomy are common and strategies for erection rehab post-prostatectomy are being developed.

For various reasons, the issue of erectile and sexual function post-prostatectomy is becoming a major issue for prostate cancer patients.

The average age at time of diagnosis of prostate cancer has been dropping due to improved diagnostic methodologies resulting in younger men needing treatment for a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Traditional, the operation of choice for prostate cancer has been a radical prostatectomy. In efforts to improve the erectile functioning of patients post surgery, surgeons at John Hopkins University developed a nerve sparing technique in 1982. This technique spares the nerves responsible for erectile functioning and has led to better post-operative results.

However, post-prostatectomy patients still experience significant problems with normal sexual functioning despite nerve sparing. Erectile dysfunction is not the only sexual dysfunction following the surgery. Many men also experience loss of ejaculation (although orgasm may be preserved), and there may be penile curvature, and loss of penile length.

It is known that after radical prostatectomy, erectile function preservation is better in younger men, men with cancer confined to the prostate who have at least one nerve preserved, and in men who had normal erections prior to surgery.

Various explanations have been put forewords to explain this including post-operative cavernosal hypoxia and resulting cavernosal fibrosis.

Rehab Options

Rehabilitation for erectile functioning post-prostatectomy is centered on getting the patients to have erections as soon as possible post surgery.

There are various methods being used in this rehab including the early post-operative use of drugs such as sildenafil (Viagra) or other phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, intraurethral alprostadil, and penile injection therapy.

If these therapies fail to work then part of the rehab may include the use of penile vacuum devices or even penile implant surgery.