A Guide to the Three-Piece Inflatable Penile Prosthesis and Its Cost

A Guide to the Three-Piece Inflatable Penile Prosthesis and Its Cost

Erectile dysfunction is a condition that can arise from organic causes such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension or surgery for prostate cancer, and it adversely affects quality of life. Where medication, shock wave therapy (ESWT) or injection treatments do not respond, the definitive solution in andrology, with the highest patient and partner satisfaction rates (over 95 per cent), is the penile prosthesis.

In today's medical technology the most advanced option in terms of naturalness, discretion and comfort of use is the three-piece inflatable penile prosthesis. Below we examine in detail these intelligent systems, as fitted by Op. Dr. Taylan Yanar at the Andrology Clinic in Mavisehir, Izmir, and the factors that affect penile prosthesis prices.

What Is a Three-Piece Inflatable Penile Prosthesis and How Does It Work?

The three-piece penile prosthesis is a mechanical erection system concealed entirely within the body, which cannot be detected from the outside either by sight or by touch. The system consists of three main parts:

• Flexible cylinders: two special channels placed inside the tubes that provide erection (the corpora cavernosa).
• Control pump: a small, soft mechanism placed inside the scrotum, beside the testicles.
• Fluid reservoir: a chamber placed in the lower abdominal wall holding the sterile fluid needed to inflate the prosthesis.

How it works: before intercourse the patient presses the concealed pump in the scrotum several times, allowing fluid from the reservoir to fill the cylinders. The penis reaches its natural firmness and size. When intercourse is over, the release button on the pump is pressed; the fluid returns to the reservoir and the penis returns to its completely natural, flaccid state.

How the Three-Piece Prosthesis Differs from Other Prostheses

• Complete discretion: with one-piece (malleable) prostheses the penis remains permanently firm, whereas the three-piece prosthesis is entirely flaccid outside intercourse. It is never noticeable under swimwear or close-fitting clothing.
• Maximum naturalness: both the firm and the flaccid state offer the experience closest to a biological erection.
• Tissue health: the pressure that permanently rigid prostheses exert on the skin does not occur with the three-piece system, so skin irritation and the risk of complications are minimised.

Factors That Determine Penile Prosthesis Prices

One of the questions patients planning prosthesis surgery ask most often concerns treatment costs. There is no single standard fee; the main criteria that determine the budget are as follows:

• The type and technology of the prosthesis chosen: one-piece (malleable) prostheses have a simpler mechanism and are therefore more economical. Three-piece inflatable systems fall into a different budget category because of the advanced engineering, discretion and comfort they offer.
• Import conditions: penile prosthesis devices are imported medical products manufactured to international health standards. Exchange rate movements are therefore reflected in supply costs.
• Operating theatre and hospital conditions: prosthesis surgery requires a high level of sterilisation. The facilities of the hospital where the operation is performed, the type of anaesthesia and the length of stay all shape the cost.
• Surgical experience: having the operation performed by a doctor specialised in andrology and microsurgery is essential both for the service life of the device and for the success of the operation.

The Operation and Recovery

• The operation: performed in a fully equipped operating theatre under general or spinal anaesthesia, taking 60 to 90 minutes on average.
• Incision site: a concealed incision of 3 to 4 cm is made at the junction of the penis and the scrotum; the scar is not visible.
• Recovery: the patient is discharged after one night in hospital. The prosthesis is ready for active use after approximately four to six weeks of tissue healing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a three-piece inflatable prosthesis affect orgasm or ejaculation?

No. The prosthesis only provides firmness. Because the sensory nerves are not touched, ejaculation, orgasm and sexual pleasure are entirely preserved.

Do social security or private insurance cover the cost of a penile prosthesis?

Cover is possible only where a medical board report documents an organic cause; purely aesthetic procedures are not covered.

Where it is documented by a medical board report that the erectile dysfunction is based on organic causes, the Turkish social security institution may provide payment support under certain conditions and for a limited range of prosthesis types. With private insurance, the terms of the policy apply.