Work

Response to comment on: hydrophilic inflatable penile prosthesis surface coatings readily rebind antibiotics and maintain antimicrobial efficacy ex vivo

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We thank the authors for their kind comments [ 1 ]. Given the notably higher rates of infection in penile prosthesis revision surgery (1—3 vs 10%), our aim with this study was to assess the integrity of the hydrophilic surface and its ability to bind and elute antimicrobial solutions for subsequent applications beyond initial implantation [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. We utilized implant reservoirs and cylinders removed from patients, which went through a rigorous sterilization process, for the various aspects of this study. Congo Red staining and contact angle analysis was conducted to assess the integrity of the hydrophilic surface following the sterilization process. Fluorescent-labelled vancomycin was used to directly visualize antibiotic binding to the surface, while antibiotic-dip bacterial assays were conducted to assess the antibacterial efficacy of the previously-implanted surface. This study demonstrates that the surface coating of the pre-existing device has potential to have antibiotics rebind and elute in situ, which may have significant clinical applications; for instance, in cases of component repositioning, as mentioned in the comment by Chawareb et al., the in situ components may potentially re-bind antibiotics via irrigation, rendering the retained components safer [ 1 , 5 ].

Source: International Journal of Impotence Research

DOI: 10.1038/s41443-025-01220-5

Authors: Brian H. Im, Paul H. Chung

Institution: Thomas Jefferson University

Language: English

Topic: Sexual function and dysfunction studies

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,790