Man's Eight-month-long Erection Doesn't Stand Up in Court

A Delaware urologist was found not to blame for the results of an unsuccessful penile implant surgery that left his patient with an eight-month-long erection.

A New Jersey court heard arguments last week from Daniel Metzgar, a 44-year-old truck driver who had a three-piece, inflatable penile implant inserted in 2009, but claimed to have had problems following the surgery, including an erection that caused him to retreat from much of life.

"I could hardly dance, with an erection poking my partner," Metzgar told a jury at the beginning of the trial last week, according to Delaware News-Journal, which reported that Metzgar said he was unable to enjoy riding his motorcycle and resorted to wearing baggy sweatpants to hide his situation.

Metzgar's attorney Michael Heyden said he and his client were "stunned" by the verdict, which came Monday after a jury ruled against Metzgar in his case against urologist Thomas Desperito

Inflatable penile implants are a popular modern choice for men with erectile dysfunction, according to WebMD. Two cylinders are surgically inserted in the penis and connected by tubing to a separate reservoir of fluid, which is implanted under the groin muscles. A pump used to inflate the system is situated near the testicles. When working properly, the system is said to make the penis stiff and thick, similar to a natural erection.

But Metzgar said his surgery was botched and took his surgeon to medical malpractice court.

Attorneys for Desperito argued that sometimes bad medical results occur through the fault of no one, adding that Metzgar should have known something was wrong after his scrotum reportedly swelled to the size of a volleyball, the News-Journal reported. Metzgar waited months before telling doctors something was wrong.

After consulting with Desperito in April 2010, Metzgar reportedly went on to ignore advice to have the prosthesis removed for four months. It was only after tubing from the device punctured Metzgar's scrotum during a family trip to Niagara Falls that Metzgar underwent surgery to have the penile implant removed.

Metzgar later got a replacement implant from another doctor. He and his wife sought unspecified damages for the results of the first operation.

According to Reuters, Desperito 's lawyer, Colleen Shields, said, "We think the jury reached the appropriate verdict."