Urology Centers of Alabama since 2002 has consistently been one of the top five robotic centers in the world.
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Urology Centers   >   Conditions & Treatments

Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is the inability to obtain an erection that is sufficient for satisfactory intercourse. Unfortunately, millions of men in the United States suffer from erectile dysfunction, and many men do not seek treatment for this very common problem. At Urology Centers of Alabama we truly specialize in the non-surgical and surgical treatment of erectile dysfunction. It is a very rare man that we cannot help.

Erectile dysfunction results from inadequate blood flow into the penis that would normally allow for a rigid erection. There are a number of medical conditions that can cause erectile dysfunction with diabetes and high blood pressure being two of the most common. However, they are not the only medical conditions that can be related to erectile dysfunction; your urologist can determine if other medical conditions may be related to your erectile dysfunction. Also, we know that conditions such as spinal cord injury can also lead to erectile dysfunction, and erectile dysfunction can also result from radical surgeries used to treat cancer such as prostate cancer or bladder cancer. Also, as a man increases in age it is increasingly common for the quality and stiffness of his erections to diminish. Again, the good news is that regardless of the cause of erectile dysfunction we can almost always be successful with our treatments.

Medications can be used to treat erectile dysfunction. Medicine such as Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis represent good treatment options for some men. Overall, oral medications are effective in about 70% of men with erectile dysfunction.

Placement of a penile prosthesis represents a highly effective treatment option for men with erectile dysfunction. The surgery to place a penile implant requires a small incision either in the scrotum, or just above the base of the penis, and takes 45 minutes or less. This can sometimes be done on an out-patient basis; otherwise; the patient would stay only a single night in the hospital. It is a fact that the degree of patient and partner satisfaction with a penile implant represents the highest degree of satisfaction of any type of impotence treatment. The risks of infection or significant bleeding are very, very low. The penile implants themselves are reliable and have a very low rate of malfunction requiring replacement. In addition, most insurance plans will cover the placement of a penile implant; however, it is important to ascertain whether a patient’s insurance policy would cover the surgery, and at Urology Centers we will help the patient to investigate this. While placement of a penile prosthesis would not be considered to be the first line of treatment for erectile dysfunction (oral medications are typically tried first), when more conservative treatment options have failed to produce an acceptable treatment for a patient’s erectile dysfunction the penile implant is the treatment of choice. Previously, it was felt that a man would need to try every non-surgical treatment option before moving on to a penile implant. Among thought leaders and those most skilled in prosthetic urology, that is no longer felt to be the case. We have learned that a penile implant represents a highly effective treatment option and is appropriate when the patient feels ready to move on to this treatment.

Erectile dysfunction can be present in men who have undergone surgery for the treatment of prostate cancer, and these men might also suffer from urinary incontinence following their radical prostatectomy. Surgery to treat erectile dysfunction with a penile implant can be combined with surgery to cure the urinary incontinence. In fact, some of the first combination surgeries were done by a urologist at Urology Centers, and these combined surgeries have been shown to be safe, highly effective, yield a very high patient satisfaction, and have a low risk for bleeding and infections. If you suffer from urinary incontinence as well as erectile dysfunction then please discuss these with your prostate cancer surgeon.

Other non-surgical treatment options would include the use of penile injection therapy. In this treatment a small needle and syringe (like a diabetic would use to inject Insulin) are used to inject medication directly into the penis. These medications either alone or in combination with each other can increase blood flow into the penis causing a firm erection. The discomfort associated with penile injection therapy is not severe, and the risk of complications is low. One potential complication is priapism or an erection that persists for several hours. Careful adjustment of the dosage of medications injected is critical to avoiding priapism, and the physicians and nurses in our ED Division are well schooled in helping the patient to determine the appropriate dose of injectable medications.

A vacuum erection device (VED) is a plastic cylinder that goes over the penis and produces a vacuum. The vacuum draws blood into the penis and then a rubber constriction ring placed around the base of the penis holds the blood in the penis allowing for penile rigidity. The VED represents another non-surgical treatment option for erectile dysfunction. We will be happy to work with a patient to instruct them how to use the VED, and also help them in obtaining a VED.

As you can see, there are a variety of treatment options for erectile dysfunction. At Urology Centers of Alabama we firmly believe that no man with erectile dysfunction should go untreated. Our surgeons and nurses have a strong commitment to treating patients with erectile dysfunction and their partners with compassion, respect, and empathy. A man doesn’t need to feel embarrassed when he comes to a physician or a nurse at Urology Centers of Alabama seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction. Our goal is to return patients to these most intimate and private activities that can truly improve the quality of life. The non-surgical and surgical treatment options for erectile dysfunction can be highly effective. We encourage you to begin the journey toward erectile restoration by coming to see us.