Medics at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi have performed a penile implant procedure to treat erectile dysfunction.
The patient is a Nairobi man in his forties.
Although the procedure is not considered complicated, the hospital said its surgeons are the first to perform it in East and Central Africa.
Dr Ahmed Yousef, a consultant urologist and lead surgeon for the procedure, said the patient has been suffering from erectile dysfunction for many years.
He said the patient did not respond to other treatments.
“The procedure takes about an hour and involves implanting a prosthesis device in the penis, Dr Yousef said.
"The advantage of this surgery is that the man can have intercourse anytime they like without using medication”
He said tests conducted on the patient showed his erectile dysfunction was caused by severe venous leakage, a common cause of ED in young men.
When a man is aroused, the arteries in the sexual organ expand to allow blood to flow in, making the erection firm.
This blood needs to stay in the shaft to keep the erection firm until ejaculation. For this to happen, veins constrict to trap the blood inside.
Only after ejaculation should the veins widen and allow blood to flow back into the body.
However, for people with venous leaks, the veins do not constrict enough during intercourse and the blood usually leaks back into the body. The man, therefore, loses an erection before ejaculation.
Medics say penile implants are the closest thing there is to a cure for men with this problem.
“Through this procedure, his erectile dysfunction condition has been treated. If he had issues with premature ejaculation, it will also be treated by this procedure,” Dr Yousef said.
The procedure involves placing two cylinders into the male organ along with a fluid-filled container in the abdomen and an inflatable pump in the scrotum.
When one squeezes the pump in the scrotum several times, the saline fluid travels from the container to the cylinders, causing an erection that lasts about 15 minutes.
“This is the first time the procedure has been carried out in this region because it requires a rare specialised expertise, a sub-speciality in urology,” Dr Yousef said.
Research shows in most men, the implant lasts in the body between 15 and 20 years and is completely undetectable.
The Aga Khan said it estimates that about 15 to-20 per cent of men suffer from erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. They suffer in silence due to the intimate nature of the problem.
“These patients can access specialised care from urologists at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi,” the facility said in a statement.
Cost of the surgery at the Aga Khan Hospital is Sh800,000 to Sh1 million.
(Edited by V. Graham)
