The AMS 700 inflatable penile prosthesis: long-term experience with the controlled expansion cylinders.

A total of 214 patients underwent implantation of the AMS 700 penile prosthesis with the controlled expansion cylinders. Followup ranged from 9 to 86 months, with a mean of 56 months. Life table analysis to calculate the probability of the cylinder and the device as a whole surviving 6 years revealed 97% for the cylinder and 90% for the device as a whole. No aneurysmal dilatation of the cylinders occurred. The incidence of cylinder leak was 0.7%. The infection rate in patients undergoing primary implantation of the device was 0.5% compared to 6.6% in patients undergoing revision surgery. The controlled expansion cylinders have significantly reduced the incidence of mechanical failures and, thus, the need for reoperation. As a consequence of the decreased need for reoperation the incidence of device infection has also decreased.