Infections in genitourinary prostheses.

During the past two decades, the use of implantable prostheses has experienced exponential growth. In urology, penile prostheses have been especially popular. Although many mechanical problems have been reported, the most disastrous complication is infection, which usually mandates prosthesis removal and often leads to severe disability or loss of function of the organ in which the prosthesis was implanted. The author reviews the pathogenesis, microbiology, diagnosis, and treatment of genitourinary prosthesis infections.