What is it about?
This article details a revolutionary approach to performing penile prosthesis (implant) surgery. The Standard: Traditionally, putting in a penile implant requires general or spinal anesthesia, meaning the patient is unconscious or numb from the waist down, usually requiring an overnight hospital stay to monitor recovery from the anesthesia. The Innovation: Dr. Hsu’s team developed a novel "crural block" technique. By precisely injecting local anesthetic into specific deep nerves near the crura (the "roots") of the penis, they achieve complete numbness for the surgery. The Result: The patient remains fully awake and comfortable during the major procedure and is discharged home the very same day (outpatient).
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Why is it important?
Patient Safety: The typical implant patient is older, often with diabetes or heart disease. General anesthesia poses significant risks for these men. This method eliminates those systemic risks entirely. Faster Recovery: By avoiding systemic sedation, recovery is immediate. Patients avoid grogginess, nausea, and the disorientation of general anesthesia. Accessibility & Efficiency: It proves that complex prosthetic surgery doesn't require intensive hospital resources if the surgeon understands anatomy well enough to numb the area precisely.
Perspectives
The Surgeon's View (Dr. Hsu): This is the ultimate test of anatomical knowledge. Reliance on general anesthesia is often a crutch for imprecise local blocks. Mastering the "crural block" allows for a safer, more civilized surgical experience. The Patient's View: The fear of major surgery is vastly reduced. Being able to talk to the surgeon during the procedure and sleep in their own bed that night changes the entire experience from an ordeal to a simple procedure.
Professor Geng-Long Hsu
Microsurgical Potency Reconstruction and Research Center, Hsu’s Andrology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Outpatient penile implantation with the patient under a novel method of crural block, International Journal of Andrology, June 2004, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2605.2004.00465.x.
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