An implanted penile prosthetic has proven useful in treating erectile dysfunction in men. The penile prosthetic includes two inflatable cylinders implanted in the penis, a pump implanted in the scrotum or other internal space, and a liquid holding reservoir implanted in the abdomen or other internal space.
In a typical implantation procedure, the penis of the patient is incised in a corporotomy to expose a pair of corpora cavernosa that are aligned axially in a side-by-side orientation within the penis. A cutting implement, such as a curved Mayo scissors, is employed to penetrate the fascia of the penis and form an opening accessing each corpora cavernosum. Subsequently, each corpora cavernosum is dilated (opened) with an appropriate dilation tool to form a recess that is sized to receive one of the two cylinders of the penile prosthetic. Thereafter, a tool (e.g., a “Furlow” introducer) is inserted into each dilated corpora cavernosum to measure a length of the penis distally and proximally to determine a desired length of the cylinders. A cylinder of the appropriately selected length is secured to a suture, and the suture is secured to a needle (sometimes called a “Keith” needle) that is loaded into the Furlow introducer. The Furlow introducer delivers the needle through the dilated corpora cavernosum and out the glans penis. The needle is discarded and the suture is employed to tow the cylinder into place within the dilated corpora cavernosum.
The above-described procedure has proven effective when implanting penile prostheses. However, surgeons and users would both appreciate improved tools for implanting penile prosthetic cylinders.