Yes, Medicare and most private insurance plans cover penile implants. Dr. Chung’s office will conduct a complete evaluation in collaboration with your insurance carrier.
What qualifies you for a penile implant?
Men between the ages of 50 and 90 who have had prostate, bladder, or colon cancer therapy, as well as those who have a penile deformity or atrophy, are the ideal candidates for a penile implant.
Can a woman tell if a man has a penile implant?
The penile implant will be virtually undetectable. Nobody, not even your partner, will be able to tell you have the implant until you tell them. There will be no change in the sensation in your penis.
Does Blue Cross Blue Shield Cover penile implants?
Patients who do not respond to oral therapy with drugs like Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, or Stendra, or who have a contraindication to these medications, usually have penile implant surgery covered by Blue Cross policies.
Does penile implant increase size?
A retrospective review of males undergoing revision surgery reveals that penile prostheses can operate as a tissue expander, increasing penile length and possibly girth in men with refractory erectile dysfunction.
How much does it cost for a penile implant?
One of the most bothersome and frequently asked issues when dealing with healthcare and insurance companies is whether or not a procedure is covered and what the costs are. When it comes to erectile dysfunction therapies and penile prosthesis implants, the good news is that Medicare and other major insurances cover these procedures.
Not all insurance firms, though, will follow suit. If you have erectile dysfunction, it’s critical to establish care and contact with your primary care physician or urologist to discuss treatment options. The answer is as simple as contacting your urologist’s office to find out how much a penile prosthesis or implant would cost you and what is covered by insurance. Other choices, such as tablets and injections, can be considered and costs determined in the same way.
What if I’m not old enough to be eligible for Medicare, or if my insurance covers a penile implant?
There is still hope in these situations. Most urologists’ offices provide package pricing options that include the implant, surgeon’s cost, surgical center fee, and anesthetic fee. Depending on your surgeon or institution, this cost could range from $12,000 to $19,000. Payment options with no interest may also be available.
What are the disadvantages of a penile implant?
Although penile implants provide many advantages, there are a few disadvantages to consider before obtaining one. The advantages and disadvantages are listed below.
Pros
- Long-lasting, with a lifespan of up to 20 years, albeit this is contingent on a combination of use and chance.
- When not in use, your penis returns to a flaccid state (by deflating for the two or three-piece or bending the semirigid cylinders for the one-piece)
- If your ED isn’t responding to medication or other treatments, or if those treatments aren’t working, this is the best option.
Each device also has its own set of advantages. The three-piece implant, as previously said, produces the most natural-looking erections by combining superb firmness with utter flaccidity. Because of its basic construction, the one-piece gadget has a very low possibility of malfunctioning and is ideal for people with limited dexterity.
Cons of penile implants
The most significant disadvantage of penile implants is their indefinite nature. In most circumstances, once you’ve had a penile implant, you won’t be able to have an erection any other way. This is likewise true if the implant were to be removed.
- Constant pressure on the penis (with the one-piece), which could result in harm in some cases.
- Infection risk is small (very rare, as many modern implants come with an antibiotic coating to prevent this from happening).
- Dr. Brant’s infection rate is less than 1% when he uses modern procedures and protocols (outside of unusual circumstances).
Before recommending penile implants, Dr. Brant thoroughly investigates all nonsurgical treatment options for your ED, including medication and therapy. If you are concerned about penile implants, he will answer all of your questions and ensure that you are aware of both the benefits and drawbacks before proceeding.
The operation will take around an hour, and you will be able to return home thereafter. Dr. Brant inserts the implant through a very little incision in the upper part of your scrotum during the operation. The incision will heal in about a week, and you’ll be ready to have intercourse again in two to six weeks (depending on the procedure and type of implant).
You may be a suitable candidate for penile implants if you’ve been suffering from erectile dysfunction that hasn’t responded to treatment. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Brant, call our Salt Lake City, Utah, office at 801-207-7922 or send us a message through our website.
What is the recovery time for penile implant?
You’ll be given information on how to care for the surgical site and how to operate the pump after surgery.
Pain medicines may be required for a few days or weeks. Antibiotics will almost certainly be prescribed by your doctor to reduce the risk of infection.
You may be able to return to work in a few days, but full recovery may take many weeks. In four to six weeks, you should be able to resume sexual activity.
What is the average size of a penile implant?
In the United States, the average implant device was 19.4 cm long, compared to 17.7 cm outside the country. During the study period, Coloplast saw an increase in the usage of 18 cm and 20 cm cylinders and a decrease in the use of 16 cm cylinders.
How often can I use my penile implant?
Based on historical data and currently available enhanced implants, the life expectancy of penile implants ranges from 5 to 20 years. An implant implanted now, in my opinion, will most certainly survive 10 to 15 years. Several of my patients have had a functional penile implant for over 20 years. The penile implant, like any other mechanical device, is subject to wear and tear, and the more it is utilized, the faster it will break down. The average number of times a penile implant is used is one to two times per week. Patients with larger cylinders require more pump squeezes to get an erection, which can shorten the life of the pump and the tubing that connects it to the implant cylinders.
When penile implants fail, they are readily replaced, and because the space in the shaft of the penis is already molded around the cylinders, post-operative pain and discomfort are significantly reduced compared to the original surgery. Replacement penile implant surgery is a little more complicated and time-consuming than the initial procedure, and it comes with a higher risk of infection. As a result, replacement surgery should be performed by a penile implant specialist rather than a general urologist. In the vast majority of cases, the initial penile implant is the simplest procedure.
There isn’t much of a variation in the life expectancies of the various manufacturers. The AMS silicone cylinders are more delicate than the Bioflex Coloplast cylinders, and they are the most common cause of implant failure. Repeated bending of the deflated cylinders at the folds, rather than at the point where the cylinders are attached to the non-inflatable proximal part, causes failure. This penile device’s Achilles heel is the Coloplast tubing that links the cylinders to the pump. The tubing is outsourced and not made in-house, and it is inferior to AMS tubing in terms of strength and prone to fracture after 10 to 15 years of operation.
Penile pump failure is uncommon. Both the AMS MS (momentary squeeze) pump and the Coloplast “Touch” pump are quite dependable, however on rare occasions, the pumps will become stuck in the deflation mode and require a very strong press to activate the device. With the Coloplast pump, this has happened more frequently than with the AMS pump. Reservoirs are almost never empty. A built-in lockout valve in the Coloplast reservoir prevents backflow into the cylinders, preventing auto inflation.
Both types of IPPs have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. It’s unlikely that perfection will ever be realized, but it’s also unlikely that progress will stop.