A penile implant for treating impotence is provided. The implant is adapted to be implanted in the corpus cavernosum of a penis, and be postoperatively adjustable to selectively assume an inactivated state in which the penis is flaccid, and an activated state in which the penis is erected. The implant has a relatively short proximal portion configured to be placed in the root of the penis, a relatively long distal portion configured to be placed to extend along the protruding part of the penis, and a bending portion arranged between the proximal portion and the distal portion, the bending portion being adapted to in the activated state allow the proximal portion to assume a position that is more upwardly oriented than a position of the proximal portion, and a feedback device for sending feedback information from inside a patient's body to an outside thereof, the feedback information being related to at least one of a physical parameter of the patient and a functional parameter related to the penile implant.
1 . A penile implant for treating impotence, said implant being adapted to be implanted in a corpus cavernosum of a penis, and be postoperatively adjustable to selectively assume an inactivated state in which the penis is flaccid, and an activated state in which the penis is erected, wherein the implant comprises:
a relatively short proximal portion configured to be placed in a root of the penis,
a relatively long distal portion configured to be placed to extend along a protruding part of the penis,
a bending portion arranged between the proximal portion and the distal portion, the bending portion being adapted to in the activated state allow the distal portion to assume a position that is more upwardly oriented than a position of the proximal portion,
an implantable energy source configured to supply the penile with energy.
2 . A penile implant according to claim 1 , wherein the bending portion comprises an expandable structure configured to, when implanted, assume the activated state by expanding an underside of the expandable structure to a length extension that exceeds a length extension of an upper side of the expandable structure.
3 . A penile implant according to claim 1 , further comprising an internal control unit controlled by a wireless remote control.
4 . A penile implant according to claim 3 , further comprising an implantable internal control unit configured to receive information related to the temperature sensed by the sensor or measured by the measuring device, wherein the internal control unit is configured to transmit the information out of the body of the patient, or to store the information.
5 . A penile implant according to claim 3 , wherein the internal control unit is programmable or controllable from outside the patient's body.
6 . A penile implant according to claim 3 , wherein the internal control unit is programmed to regulate the penile implant according to a pre-programmed time-schedule or to input from any sensor sensing a physical parameter of the patient or a functional parameter of the penile implant.
7 . A penile implant according to claim 3 , further comprising an internal signal receiver and/or transmitter implantable in the patient for receiving signals transmitted by an external signal transmitter or transmitting signals to the external signal receiver.
8 . The penile implant according to claim 3 , further comprising an internal communicator for transmitting data related to the penile implant or the patient to the external data communicator and/or for receiving data from the external data communicator by the internal data communicator.
9 . A penile implant according to claim 1 , configured to accommodate a pressurized fluid for causing the implant to assume the activated state.
10 . A penile implant according to claim 1 , wherein the distal portion of the implant is radially expandable.
11 . A penile implant according to claim 1 , wherein the distal portion is longitudinally expandable.
12 . A penile implant according to claim 1 , wherein the bending portion comprises a bellows structure.
13 . A penile implant according to claim 1 , further comprising an implantable hydraulic reservoir configured to be fluidly connected to the bending portion.
14 . A penile implant according to claim 13 , wherein the bending portion is configured to assume the activated state upon transport of fluid from the implantable hydraulic reservoir to the bending portion.
15 . A penile implant according to claim 1 , wherein the implantable energy source is chargeable from an external energy transmission device.
16 . The penile implant according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensor or a measuring device for sensing or measuring a temperature of the patient or a temperature of the implant.