Glossary

Antibiotics: Drugs used to fight infection.
Autoinflation: Inadvertent and unwanted inflation of the device.
Biopolymer: A plastic material that is designed to be implanted in the body.
Catheter: Hollow tube used to remove urine from the bladder.
Chronic pain: Pain that continues beyond the normal recovery period.
Complication: An unwanted problem.
Corpus cavernosa: Chambers in the penis that fill with blood during an erection.
Cylinder: A part of an inflatable penile implant. They are filled with fluid to give an erection. The cylinders are implanted in the penis.
Erosion: Tissue next to any part of the device which is “worn away.”
General anesthesia: Puts you to sleep for the surgery.
Glans of the penis: The head of the penis.
Impotence: Unable to get or keep an erection that is firm enough for sexual intercourse.
Local anesthesia: Numbs the surgical area.
Malfunction: Failure of the inflatable penile implant to perform as intended.
Migration: Movement of one or both cylinders, pump, or reservoir within the body, from where they were originally placed.
Pump: A part of an inflatable penile implant. Transfers fluid between the reservoir and the cylinders. The pump is implanted in the scrotum.
Reservoir: A part of an inflatable penile implant. Holds the fluid when the penis is not erect. The reservoir is implanted in the abdomen.
Scrotum: The external pouch of skin and muscle containing the testes.
Swelling: When tissue next to any part of the device is swollen.
Trauma: Injury
Urinary tract: The system in the human body which stores and gets rid of urine.