Erection Problems (Erectile Dysfunction) - Surgery
In a few cases, surgery may be an option to treat erection problems (erectile dysfunction). Surgery will rarely be recommended before nonsurgical treatment and counseling have been tried.
Surgery on the pelvic area, such as prostate or bladder surgery, can sometimes damage nerves there and cause erection problems. But this is much less common than it used to be. For example, a surgeon now may do a nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy as treatment for prostate cancer. Some surgeons do nerve grafts as part of surgery for prostate cancer when the nerves cannot be saved. In a nerve graft surgery, the surgeon takes nerves from another part of your body and uses them to replace nerves damaged during surgery.
Understanding Erectile Dysfunction -- Prevention
Read the Understanding Erectile Dysfunction -- Prevention article > >
Surgery Choices
What to Think About
Think carefully about nonsurgical options and about the possible risks of surgery. Include your partner in your decision.
Doctors who specialize in conditions of the urinary tract (urologists) perform most penile implants. Specially trained urologic surgeons usually do blood vessel repair surgery.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
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