The original article can be found in: Antigua Observer By Theresa Gordon
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Renowned Antiguan Urologist Dr Dwayne Thwaites has made history in the British Virgin Island (BVI) by successfully conducting the island’s first double surgery to correct severe erectile dysfunction and a urinary problem.
The operation was the second part of a double procedure on the patient. Both procedures were conducted at the Bougainvillea Clinic in the BVI last week.
Thwaites first implanted an artificial sphincter to control the urinary continence.
Erectile dysfunction has many causes such as diabetes, increasing age, and radical prostectomy or radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
Thwaites said the procedure is a very good one and satisfaction rates with the prosthesis are very high. Typically 80-90 per cent of men and their wives are satisfied by the results.
He, however, stressed that a patient must be very careful after an operation to avoid infection.
“The most important thing is to make sure that they are infection free. That is the downside to many of these procedures,” he added.
The prosthesis is implanted with an antibiotic coating to prevent an infection.
BVI authorities report that the surgical procedure went smoothly and the patient was discharged the same day.
The British Virgin Islands is the only territory in the Eastern Caribbean to attempt such a medical procedure.
