Objectives: To determine the feasibility, safety, and acute mechanical reliability of a two-piece, implantable, inflatable cavernosal body compression device in the canine model.
Methods: Six large male dogs underwent implantation of an inflatable cavernosal compression device consisting of an inflatable cuff and a pump reservoir. The device was implanted around the corpora cavernosa excluding the corpus spongiosum near the crura.
Results: All devices were cycled three times a week for 2 months and radiographic evaluation found them to be mechanically reliable. Infusion cavernosometry with inflation of the device demonstrated greater than a 100% increase of intracorporeal pressure from baseline levels. Histologic assessment showed no adverse tissue effects on the penile tissue underlying the cuff or remote from the cuff in the penis and there was no development of distant thromboembolism.
Conclusions: The results from this study will form the basis of long-term canine studies to investigate physiologic changes on the canine erection and chronic safety and reliability of the device.