‘A reservoir within a reservoir’ – An unusual complication associated with a defunctioned inflatable penile prosthesis reservoir

INTRODUCTION: Inflatable penile prostheses (IPP) have been a successful method of treating men with erectile dysfunction since the early 1970s. IPP are comprised of two intracorporal cylinders, a scrotal pump and a fluid reservoir. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a case of a retained reservoir in a sixty eight year old gentlemen presenting with a cystic abdominal mass and bothersome LUTS, 15 years after the removal of the penile components of a three-piece penile prosthesis. Percutaneous drainage of the cyst was performed, with four litres of purulent fluid evacuated. A midline laparotomy was required to remove the reservoir and drain the collection completely. DISCUSSION: Inflammatory reaction and subsequent erosion of an IPP reservoir is an infrequent but severe complication of IPP insertion, replacement or infection. Infection remains the primary indication for penile prosthesis removal and in this setting removal of the reservoir is routine. A thorough literature search has identified that in the non-infective setting, the routine removal of the original reservoir is not standard practice during three-component IPP replacement. In patients with a history of IPP presenting with new LUTS, reservoir erosion should be considered in the differential diagnosis and investigation with cystoscopy and computed tomography included early in the investigatory armament of the urologist. CONCLUSION: It is our belief that a defunctionalized reservoir serves no purpose; rather it can only cause trouble in the future. Consequently, at our institution we do not leave defunctionalized reservoirs in situ.