Objective: To describe a technique for penile lengthening and the results achieved.
Patients and methods: The penis is completely disassembled into its anatomical parts; the glans cap remains attached dorsally to the neurovascular bundle and ventrally to the urethra and corporal bodies. A space is created between glans cap and the tip of corpora cavernosa; this space is used to insert autologous cartilage previously harvested from the rib, the space being measured beforehand when the corpora cavernosa are erect. The anatomical entities and inserted cartilage are joined together to form a longer penis. The increased length of the penis depends directly on the elasticity of the urethra and especially of the neurovascular bundle. From June 1995 to March 1999 the technique was applied in 19 patients aged 18-52 years, who were followed for a mean (range) of 3.3 (1-4.5) years.
Results: The increase in penile length was moderate, at 2-4 cm; there were no injuries of the neurovascular bundle or urethra, and no erectile dysfunction. Fifteen patients reported painless sexual intercourse, the remaining four patients providing no data. During the follow-up the cartilage insert remained at about the same size as that at initial implantation.
Conclusion: The penile disassembly technique combined with the interposition of rib cartilage in the space between the glans cap and tips of the corpora cavernosa provides a genuine increase in penile length, with satisfactory results.