PROSTATE
CANCER CRYOTHERAPY
Cryosurgery Procedures
Prostate Cancer Cryosurgery
Side Effects:
Sexual Impotence
One of the side effects of cryoablation
is impotence. Impotence refers to the inability
to have an erection, despite sexual arousal. Sexual
impotence is one of the most common side effects
of cryosurgery. It is caused by damage to nerves
and/or blood vessels that are normally responsible
for filling the penis with blood to form an erection.
Impotence Treatment
While there are no natural male impotence cures, there are treatments for impotence available, such as oral and injectable drugs, penile rings, vacuum devices, and implants.
Impotence Drugs
In March 1998, the Food and Drug Administration approved sildenafil citrate (Viagra®), the first oral pill to treat impotence. The impotence drug works by relaxing smooth muscles in the penis during sexual stimulation to allow increased blood flow. Oral drugs do not trigger an automatic erection, but instead improve the response to sexual stimulations that help one achieve an erection. New drugs, including vardenafil (Levitra®) and tadalafil (Cialis®), have been developed since the introduction of sildenafil citrate. It is recommended that these impotence drugs be taken 4 to 8 weeks after prostate cancer treatments.
Injection drugs trigger an automatic reaction. Such drugs widen blood vessels in the penis and allow them to become engorged with blood. Injected drugs will cause an almost immediate erection, regardless of sexual stimulations. These drugs have side effects of persistent erection that may require an antidote injection and subsequent scarring.
Penile Rings
A penile ring can be used to help men with some
natural erectile functions left after cryosurgery.
An elastic constricting ring is placed at the
base of the penis after achieving as much of an
erection as possible. The ring stops blood from
flowing out of the penis and causing the loss
of an erection. A penile ring must be sized correctly
to avoid cutting off circulation and damaging
the penis.
Impotence Pumps
Vacuum devices may also be used as impotence aids. This involves cylinders that fit around the penis and create a vacuum inside the tube to draw blood into the penis. Once an erection is achieved, an elastic band is place at the base of the penis to preserve the erection.
Penile Implants
Although extreme, a penile implant may be the most effective impotence treatment. A plastic device is permanently implanted inside the genital area. This device can take one of two forms: a flexible rod that is placed in the penis and can be manipulated to form an erection; or a manually inflatable pump placed in the scrotum or above the base of the penis that transfers fluid into the penis. Side effects of the implant may include infection, scarring, or further damage to the penis. This method will also destroy any remaining natural erection ability.
After the initial euphoria over restored
erections, men are less inclined in the long run
to continue using remedies.
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