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It occurred to me today, as I was reading continuing discussions of volume in the surgeon's repertoire, that I wasn't clear how we were using the term.

So can someone enlighten me:

What is high volume?

What is low volume?

What is the range for medium volume?

Nobody knows exactly how many implants all docs perform, so you can't reallly establish exactly what high/medium/low means. I think a doc who does maybe 5 a week would be in the high range, 2 a week medium, and any less low. But the real high volume guys do many more - maybe 10 or 20 a week. In any case, the more experienced and skilled the surgeon, the less likely a poor outcome. Traveling to a good surgeon is a better bet than taking a chance with somebody local with a more modest track record.

dg_moore wrote:Nobody knows exactly how many implants all docs perform, so you can't reallly establish exactly what high/medium/low means. I think a doc who does maybe 5 a week would be in the high range, 2 a week medium, and any less low. But the real high volume guys do many more - maybe 10 or 20 a week. In any case, the more experienced and skilled the surgeon, the less likely a poor outcome. Traveling to a good surgeon is a better bet than taking a chance with somebody local with a more modest track record.

That said I have been going to my urologist for years and he has performed other procedures on me. I find him to be a skilled and dedicated surgeon. When I asked how many of these he does he said 50 to 60 a year. That would be considered too low by many on this forum but I am happy with my results so far almost two weeks out.

I agree that it is better to travel to a better/more experience doctor but you also have to take into consideration if the insurance will pay for the implant or you have to pay. A few months ago, I got approved by my insurance for the implant but the only ED doctor on my health plan says that he has done less that 12 of these operations last year. That equals to once a month. I was a bit uneasy about this. Anyways, he left the health plan and now I am searching for another uro doctor. Now if I can put these 2 plans together, that would be great but unlikely.

I don't mean to imply that docs who do fewer implants are unqualified - far from it. But statistically the odds of a successful outcome are better with a highly experienced surgeon. This is just numbers, though - like most things in life, you pays your money and you takes your chances.