Modified Glanulopexy Technique for Supersonic Transporter Deformity and Glanular Hypermobility in Men With Penile Prostheses

Background: Glanular hypermobility (GH) or supersonic transporter (SST) deformity are occasionally encountered during penile prosthesis (PP) implantation, yet management strategies are underreported with minimal data available on surgical outcomes.

Aim: To describe a modified technique for glanulopexy to correct GH/SST in men undergoing PP placement and assess outcomes associated with this technique.

Methods: Glanulopexy was performed in men with GH/SST identified at the time of or following PP placement. A modification to previously described techniques was performed, whereby a suture is passed into the glans and secured to the tissue overlying the corpora through small incisions on the lateral aspects of the distal penile shaft.

Outcomes: Correction of the anatomic deformity (GH/SST), device infection, and changes in penile sensation were evaluated during post-operative follow-up.

Results: From 2014-2017, a total of 12 patients underwent modified glanulopexy for GH/SST. Nine (75%) were performed at the time of PP, while the remaining 3 were performed in a delayed fashion. At a median follow-up of 12 months (range 1-33 months), all patients with the device in situ demonstrated appropriate glanular positioning, and no patients reported changes in penile sensation. A single patient required device removal secondary to infection.

Clinical translation: Glanulopexy with permanent suture successfully corrects severe GH or SST in men with inflatable PP without reduced penile sensation.

Conclusions: Strengths of the current study include the description of a simple, safe, and reproducible technique for GH/SST that adds minimal operative time and can be performed under local anesthesia when necessary. To our knowledge, this represents one of the largest reported series of glanulopexy outcomes reported in the literature. Limitations include that this is a single-surgeon series, there is limited follow-up, and lack of a comparison group. Further study with external validation is warranted to establish the optimal role for the procedure. Ziegelmann MJ, Alom M, Bole R, et al. Modified Glanulopexy Technique for Supersonic Transporter Deformity and Glanular Hypermobility in Men With Penile Prostheses. J Sex Med 2018;15:914-919.