Surgeon variations in the perioperative evaluation of penile prosthesis patients.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to characterize the standard perioperative practices of penile prosthetic surgeons. A 24-question survey was sent to prosthetic urologists which assessed surgeon demographic and practice information, preoperative evaluation including assessment of sexual history, and postoperative assessment. The majority of surveyed penile implant surgeons (87.0%) assess patients' grip strength before surgery and 96.5% discuss patients' expectations before surgery. Less than half (42.6%) ask patients about their sexual orientation. Only 49.6% obtain a psychiatric history but 68.7% evaluate the impact of sexual function on patient self-esteem. A minority (35.5%) ask about the intended use of the implant and 63.5% commonly ask about partner sexual function. Few (26.1%) implanters regularly ask about the type of sexual activity patients engage in (i.e., oral, vaginal, anal). Postoperatively, 95.6% of implanters ask about patient satisfaction but only 67.2% routinely assess partner satisfaction. Only 18.6% of implant surgeons use a questionnaire to evaluate postoperative satisfaction. Penile prosthetic urologists can improve the consistency of assessment of patients' sexual orientation, intended use of the implant, type of sexual activity, and partner sexual function and satisfaction.