Medics at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi have performed a penile implant procedure to treat erectile dysfunction in a young man from the city.

Although this procedure is not considered complicated, the hospital said they are the first to do it in East and Central Africa.

Dr Ahmed Yousef, a consultant urologist and the lead surgeon for the procedure, said the patient is in his 40s and has been suffering from erectile dysfunction for many years.

He said the patient was put on other treatment modalities but was not responsive.

“The procedure takes about an hour and involves implanting a prosthesis device in the penis. The advantage of this surgery is that the man can have intercourse anytime they like without using a medication,” Dr Yousef said.

He said tests conducted on the patient showed his erectile dysfunction was caused by severe venous leakage, a common cause of ED in young men.

When a person is aroused, the arteries in the sexual organ expand to allow blood to flow in, making the erection firm.

This blood needs to stay in the shaft to keep the erection firm until the person ejaculates. For this to happen, veins constrict to trap the blood inside.

Only after ejaculation should the veins widen and allow blood to flow back into the body.

However, for people with venous leaks, the veins do not constrict enough during intercourse and the blood usually leaks back into the body. The man, therefore, loses an erection before ejaculation.

Medics say penile implants are the closest thing there is to a cure for men with this problem.

“Through this procedure, his erectile dysfunction condition has been treated. If he had issues with premature ejaculation, it will also be treated by this procedure,” Dr Yousef said.

The procedure involves placing two cylinders into the male organ along with a fluid-filled container in the abdomen and an inflatable pump in the scrotum.

When one squeezes the pump in the scrotum several times, the saline fluid travels from the container to the cylinders, eliciting an erection, which lasts about 15 minutes.

“This is the first time for this procedure to be conducted in the region because it requires a rare specialized expertise, a sub-speciality in urology,” Dr Yousef added.

Research shows in most men, the implant lasts in the body between 15 and 20 years and is completely undetectable.

The Aga Khan said it estimates that about 15-20 per cent of men suffer from erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation and are suffering in silence due to the nature of the problem.

“These patients can access specialized care from urologists at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi,” the facility said in a statement.