UK practice for penile prosthesis surgery: baseline analysis of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) Penile Prosthesis Audit

Objectives To undertake a prospective multicentre national audit of penile prosthesis practice in the UK over a 3-year period. Patients and Methods Data were submitted by urological surgeons as part of the British Association of Urological Surgeons Penile Prosthesis National Audit. Patients receiving a penile prosthesis (inflatable or malleable) were included as part of a prospective registry over a 3-year period. Data were validated and then analysed using a software package (Tableau). Results A total of 1071 penile prosthesis procedures were included from 22 centres. The three commonest aetiological factors for erectile dysfunction were diabetes, prostate surgery and Peyronie's disease. Of the recorded data, inflatable penile prostheses were the commonest devices implanted, with 665 devices used (62.1%), whereas malleable prostheses accounted for 14.2% of the implants. Recorded intra-operative complications included urethral injury (0.7%,n= 7), corporal perforation (1.1%,n= 12) and cross-over (0.6%,n= 6). Known postoperative complications were recorded in 9.8% of patients (74/752), with the two most frequently reported being postoperative penile pain (n= 11) and scrotal haematoma (n= 14). Conclusion This baseline analysis is the largest prospective registry of penile prostheses procedures to date. The data show that, over the 3-year collection period in the UK, there are now fewer surgeons performing the procedure, together with a reduction in the number of centres. Peri-operative complications were infrequent, and the rate of implant abortion (e.g. as a result of urethral injury) was very low. Further follow-up data will be required to publish long-term outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Automated summary

This study is the largest prospective registry analysis of penile prosthesis procedures in the UK to date, showing trends over a 3-year collection period such as a decrease in the number of surgeons performing the procedure, fewer peri-operative complications, and recorded postoperative complications in patients.