A Kenyan surgeon has performed the first successful penile implant surgery to treat erectile dysfunction (ED), according to The East African, a news outlet.
The surgeon, Dr. Ahmed Yousef, is affiliated with Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Nairobi, which is part of the Aga Khan Health Services.
Also called impotence, ED is one of the taboo subjects among millions of men. In fact, most men suffer in silence rather than getting it treated.
Dr. Yousef performed the procedure on a man in his 40s who had battled ED for several years. The man attempted several other treatments with no success.
Dr. Yousef explained that the entire procedure took about an hour, involving implanting a prosthesis device in the patient’s penile organ.
He said, “The advantage of this surgery is that the man can have intercourse anytime they like without using medication.”
He also said that the patient underwent a penile doppler ultrasound, which revealed that he had been struggling with a “severe venous leakage” so it was important for the patient to get an implant.
Dr. Yousef explained, “Through this procedure, his erectile dysfunction condition has been treated. If he had an issue with premature ejaculation (PE), it will also be treated by this procedure.”
This was probably the first time this procedure was conducted in Kenya because it requires rare specialized expertise in urology.
“The man can now have sex with a woman whenever he wants as long as he wants in any style he wants wherever he wants and the success rate is 95-97%,” said Dr. Yousef. “The procedure costs about Ksh800,000 ($7,041) to Ksh1 million ($8,801).”
According to AKUH estimates, about 15-20% of Kenyan men suffer from ED and PE, with most of them leaving the conditions untreated due to the nature of the problems.
ED is the inability to get and keep an erection firm enough for sex, according to Mayo Clinic. PE occurs when a man ejaculates sooner during sexual intercourse than he or his partner would like.
