Evaluation of patient satisfaction using the validated French version of the SSIPI questionnaire after inflatable penile implantation

Abstract

Background: Penile prothesis (PP) is a recommended treatment for erectile dysfunction that is refractory to less invasive treatments, but there are few validated tools to assess patient satisfaction.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess patient satisfaction after PP implantation using the French Satisfaction Survey for Inflatable Penile Implant (SSIPI) questionnaire.

Methods: Demographic, clinical, and perioperative data were collected from all consecutive patients who underwent PP implantation in our center between 2016 and 2021. The French SSIPI questionnaire was completed during a telephone call with each patient by an independent investigator.

Outcomes: A good functional result was considered when the total SSIPI score was >48, corresponding to a score of >3 for each item.

Results: The median global SSIPI score for the cohort was 66 (interquartile range [IQR], 60-73), and 53 (89.8%) patients were satisfied. The appearance of the penis with the PP was the item that had the lowest score for satisfaction (median score 23 [IQR, 19-26]), while the patients reported almost no pain (median score 10 [IQR, 9-10]). When patients with a total score of ≤64 were compared with those with a score of >64, PP size was significantly greater in the group with better functional results (P = .03).

Clinical implications: Assessment of patient satisfaction with a PP is important because this is the main criterion used to judge the success of surgery.

Strengths and limitations: To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the satisfaction of patients with a PP using the French-validated version of SSIPI questionnaire. However, patients came from a single center and the population size was small.

Conclusion: Almost 90% of patients with a PP were satisfied with the device when satisfaction was assessed using the SSIPI questionnaire.

Keywords: assessment; erectile dysfunction; outcomes; penile; prosthesis; questionnaire; satisfaction.