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OBJECTIVES: To describe a clinical method for the evaluation of neurological disorders in erectile dysfunction. METHODS: A new method for neurological evaluation in erectile dysfunction is presented. CONCLUSIONS: Although the study is complex, the method of evaluation described herein is considered to be indicated basically in erectile dysfunction highly suspected as having an underlying neurogenic cause.
This study examines the effectiveness of using the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory in conjunction with self-report measures of erectile dysfunction to classify the etiology of erectile dysfunction in males. Subjects were 70 males with erectile dysfunction. The results indicate that 47% of the subjects with psychogenic etiology, 65% with mixed etiology, and 71% of the subjects with organic etiology were correctly classified. These and previous findings indicate that the MBHI is an effective method of assessing the etiology of erectile dysfunction.
Hyperprolactinemia is the cause of erectile dysfunction in less than 1% of cases. From 1989 to 1996, 13 patients consulted for erectile disorders associated with hyperprolactinemia. The mean age was 47.5 years. 10 patients complained of decreased libido. 3 patients had gynecomastia. Plasma prolactin levels ranged from 31.3 ng/ml to 1,300 ng/ml. 7 patients had a plasma testosterone less than 4 ml/ng. 7 patients had a micro- or macroadenoma of the sella turcica visualized by MRI. After drug treatment, plasma prolactin levels returned to normal in all patients in whom assays were performed. 6 patients considered that their erectile function was restored. 5 of the 6 patients with no improvement of their sexual function had a concomitant disease able to explain the impotence. Hyperprolactinemia is a rare cause of erectile dysfunction, but it must be considered in any patient presenting with idiopathic erectile dysfunction associated with decreased libido, gynecomastia, and decreased plasma testosterone. Drug treatment is effective and MRI of the sella turcica should be performed looking for a pituitary adenoma.
We designed a study consisting of 27 consecutive patients with erectile dysfunction in order to evaluate the role of cavernous oxygen tension. Patients were completely evaluated by history, physical examination, multiple blood analyses, serum testosterone level measurements, papaverine test, color duplex sonography and dynamic infusion cavernosometry-cavernosography. Blood gas samples were obtained from femoral artery and corpus cavernosum before drug injection and also from corpus cavernosum at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 min following drug injection. Aetiologic classification of erectile dysfunction in our patients was as follows: psychogenic in 8, cavernosal failure in 14 and arterial disease in 5 cases. At flaccidity, no significant differences were found in the mean pO2, sO2, pCO2 and pH values of patient groups. After injection of intracavernous papaverine, results of the cavernous pO2 (P < 0.05), sO2 (P < 0.05) levels were found to be statistically significantly different between patients with vascular and psychogenic erectile dysfunction. Analysis of maximal cavernosal oxygen tension and PSV revealed statistically significant correlation (r = 0.66, P < 0.001). The results of this study suggest that changes in arterial and cavernosal pO2 and sO2 values may be contributing factors or co-factors in erectile failure.
Sildenafil citrate has been shown to be effective in a wide range of patients with erectile dysfunction and has been approved in the United States for this indication. The overall clinical safety of oral sildenafil, a potent inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 5, in the treatment of erectile dysfunction was evaluated in more than 3700 patients (with a total of 1631 years of exposure worldwide). Safety and tolerability data were analysed from a series of double-blind, placebo-controlled studies and from 10 open-label extension studies of sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. A total of 4274 patients (2722 sildenafil, 1552 placebo; age range 19-87 y) received double-blind treatment over a period of up to six months' duration, and 2199 received long-term, open-label sildenafil for up to 1 y. The most commonly reported adverse events (all causes) were headache (16% sildenafil, 4% placebo), flushing (10% sildenafil, 1% placebo), and dyspepsia (7% sildenafil, 2% placebo) and they were predominantly transient and mild or moderate in nature. These adverse events reflect the pharmacology of sildenafil as a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor. No cases of priapism were reported. The rate of discontinuation due to adverse events (all causes) was comparable for patients treated with sildenafil (2.5%) and placebo (2.3%). In open-label extension studies, 90% of patients completed long-term sildenafil treatment, with only 2% withdrawing due to adverse events. Sildenafil is a well-tolerated oral treatment for erectile dysfunction.
The incidence of erectile dysfunction in patients suffering from severe renal diseases in the stage of renal insufficiency is significantly higher in comparison with healthy men of the same age. In the etiopathogenesis of erectile disorders, both organic and psychogenic factors participate in combination. By means of a questionnaire, the authors have collected information from 53 men treated by hemodialysis and kidney transplantation because of renal failure. Erectile disorders occurred in 41.5 per cent of men with chronic renal insufficiency. On one side hemodialysis improved the erectile dysfunction in two patients, in total, however, the incidence of impotence increased to 64.2 per cent. Erectile dysfunction was reported by 71.7 per cent of patients after kidney transplantation. The authors describe two cases of iatrogenic arterial insufficiency of the penis as the cause of impotence after secondary renal transplantation. In uremic patients as possible therapeutic methods, intracavernous application of vasoactive drugs or penile prostheses implantation should be considered. (Fig. 2, Ref. 20).
Erectile dysfunction is rarely caused by hypogonadism. We distinguish between primary and secondary hypogonadism. Among 70 consecutive men treated for impotence within 1 year in the authors' clinic, the rate of endocrinopathy was 4.3%. The exact role of testosterone in male sexual function is unclear. Testosterone replacement may be helpful only in patients with low serum testosterone and decreased libido. Endocrine screening is necessary in impotent patients with clinical signs of hypogonadism. Patients with decreased libido and no signs of hypogonadism should also be undergo endocrine evaluation. Routine endocrine testing for all patients with erectile dysfunction is expensive and not productive.
A total of 326 patients with chronic erectile dysfunction were investigated by a multidisciplinary approach. It was found that several causes combined (multifactorial genesis) in 77.1%. Organic causes alone were found quite frequently, viz. in 43.6%, while primarily psychogenic causes alone were found in only 5.5%; in contrast, combined organic and psychogenic causes were found in 46.0%. There were pathologic organic findings in 89.6%: vascular in 74.5% (arterial 64.1%, cavernous/venous 30.4%), neurogenic in 42.0%; side effects of drugs in (10.1%); endocrine (7.7%) and local penile causes (4.3%) are not so important in erectile dysfunction. Treatment suited to the pathogenesis was instituted (psychotherapy, vein ligation, self-injection of vasoactive drugs into the corpus cavernosum).
OBJECTIVES: To assess potency rate and patient attitudes regarding erectile dysfunction. METHODS: A multiple choice, self-administered questionnaire distributed to 750 men undergoing testing for early detection of prostate cancer was used. RESULTS: Overall, 33.9% of patients reported either partial or complete lack of erections and 31.1% were not sexually active or active less than once per month. Furthermore, 55.4% would be affected or very affected by lack of erections and 73.6% chose definitive treatment despite a 50% chance of erectile dysfunction. Finally, 47.4% found such treatment-induced erectile dysfunction to be an important or very important problem. When asked to ascribe a quantity of life or period of time that they would be willing to sacrifice to preserve sexual function following treatment, only 15.2% of patients were able to do so, but no consensus could be reached regarding its value. CONCLUSIONS: Reported differences in quality-adjusted life expectancy when screening was compared to no screening and definitive therapy was compared to expectant management are marginal. Therefore, close attention to seemingly minor variables such as existing impotence rate, attitude regarding erectile dysfunction, and willingness to undergo therapy despite its inherent morbidity may substantially reduce or even reverse this reported disadvantage.
Although around 10% of men aged 40 to 70 years have complete erectile dysfunction, only a few seek medical help. As erectile dysfunction is frequently associated with a number of systemic illnesses and surgical treatments, a wide range of doctors should be aware of the condition in their patients. Current effective treatments include psychosexual counselling, vacuum erection devices, intracavernosal and transurethral drug delivery, and penile prostheses. Promising oral treatments are currently being investigated. Both doctors and the public need to be better informed about erectile dysfunction and its treatment.
To improve diabetes care according to the St. Vincent Declaration an interdisciplinary working group on erectile dysfunction in patients with diabetes was installed in the Departments of Internal Medicine, Urology and Psychiatry at the University of Graz. The screening and basic diagnostic procedures are performed in the diabetes clinic in the Department for Internal Medicine. To inform the patients about the options of treatment of diabetic erectile dysfunction and to determine prevalence data an anonymous questionnaire with a pre-stamped envelope was sent to 133 male patients with diabetes mellitus type I (IDDM). 59 (44%) of the questionnaires were returned and could be analyzed. Mean age and diabetes duration were representative for the male diabetes population. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction in this group was 49%. 7% of the patients were completely impotent. None of the patients reported the use of erection aids as a vacuum device or intracavernosal injection of smooth muscle-relaxant drugs. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction is high among patients with diabetes mellitus type I. Modern management offers satisfactory success in most cases, therefore screening for erectile dysfunction and adequate therapy should be offered to all patients.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of limaprost, an oral prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) derivative, on erectile dysfunction and to compare the effects of limaprost with a Chinese herbal drug, gosyajinki-gan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study comprised 50 consecutive patients with mild erectile dysfunction who showed a good erectile response to intracavernosal injection with 20 micrograms of PGE1. Limaprost was administered to the first 25 patients (30 micrograms three times daily) and gosyajinki-gan (7.5 g three times daily) to the next 25 patients, for 8 consecutive weeks. Patients were evaluated by their ability to achieve vaginal penetration and by a subjective assessment of erectile function (penile rigidity and maintenance of erection) before and after the treatment, using a self-administered questionnaire. Objective measurements (nocturnal penile tumescence, NPT, values) were also evaluated. RESULTS: Eleven of the 24 patients who received limaprost without interruption and four of the 24 taking gosyajinki-gan succeeded in vaginal penetration; the difference in the positive response rate was significant. The mean increment of NPT was significantly higher with limaprost treatment. However, all positive responders in both groups did not experience a full erection. There were no side-effects in any patient except one in the limaprost group who developed a facial flush. Thus the treatment was mild enough to be tolerated. CONCLUSION: Limaprost was more effective for mild erectile dysfunction than was gosyajinki-gan.
From May 1985 to July 1989, 143 patients suffering from chronic erectile dysfunction (21-70 years old) underwent constant corpus cavernosum auto-injection therapy (CCAT) with papaverine alone (1257 injections) or with a standardized papaverine-phentolamine mixture (11035 injections). On the basis of these 12,292 protocol auto-injections and over 4 years' experience with intracavernosal auto-injection therapy we conclude: CCAT, especially with the papaverine-phentolamine mixture, constitutes an effective therapy (full rigidity in 95.9%) with tolerable side-effects for chronic erectile dysfunction when preceded by careful patient selection and thorough multidisciplinary evaluation, especially in the case of arterial and/or neurogenic aetiology of the erectile dysfunction; in addition, the contraindications must be strictly observed, the treatment and technique fully explained, and a regular system instituted. CCAT is generally well accepted by the patients and their partners (100%/98.3%) and has distinct positive effects on self-esteem (77.8%), performance anxiety (84.4%) and partnership (79.5%). The most serious side-effect was prolonged erection (25 out of 12,292 injections). In 3 patients reversible fibrotic changes near the tunica albuginea were observed.
We aimed to compare the electrical activity of corpus cavernosum before and after intracavernous papaverine injection and to determine the blood lipid profile in vascular and non-vascular erectile dysfunction, and also to assess whether vascular pathology and abnormal blood lipid levels impair cavernosal smooth-muscle relaxation. We determined total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in peripheral and cavernosal blood in 39 patients with erectile dysfunction. Electromyography of the corpus cavernosum was performed before and after an intracavernous injection with 60 mg of papaverine in all patients. Thirty-nine impotent patients have been divided into two groups: vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (VED) and non-vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (NVED), according to colour Doppler ultrasonic flowmetry, dynamic infusion cavernosometry and the pressure difference between the brachial arterial systolic pressure and cavernosal arterial systolic pressure measurements. Biochemical values and amplitude changes were compared in both groups. The TC level was higher in both peripheral and cavernosal samples of the VED group than in the NVED group (p = 0.000), with no differences between peripheral and cavernosal blood levels within the same groups (p > 0.05). There were no significant changes in TG and HDL levels in any of the groups (p > 0.05). The mean amplitude differences before and after papaverine injection (delta A) were found to be 2.05 +/- 0.78 microV in the VED group and 4.68 +/- 2.53 microV in the NVED group, showing that the relaxation response to papaverine was more significant in the NVED than in the VED group (p = 0.003). The moderate decreases in the amplitude of electrical activity of corpus cavernosum and the higher TC levels found in the VED group can be accepted as the parameters of impairment in the relaxation of corpus cavernosum, showing the role of hypercholesterolaemia and vascular pathologies in erectile dysfunction.
BACKGROUND: Biopsy and electrical activity recordings of the corpus cavernosum are 2 new diagnostic methods for the evaluation of impotent men. We evaluated the corpus cavernosum ultrastructure and electromyography (EMG) recordings from patients with erectile dysfunction. METHODS: Twenty erectile dysfunction patients with veno-occlusive dysfunction underwent a detailed history, physical examination, biochemical tests, hormonal analysis, injection of an intracavernous vasoactive agent (60 mg papaverine-HCl), color penile Doppler ultrasonography, cavernosometry/ cavernosography and corpus cavernosum electromyography (CC-EMG). Thirteen patients underwent total vein ligation and 7 had penile prosthesis implantations. Tissue samples were obtained during surgery from both corpora cavernosa and examined by transmission electron microscopy. Control corporal tissue samples were taken from 3 cadavers. RESULTS: In 15 patients, CC-EMG recordings were 15.6 +/- 0.65 microV in the flaccid state, which decreased in 13 patients after papaverine (5.61 +/- 0.25 microV; P < 0.001). Five patients with diabetes mellitus had low amplitudes in the flaccid state (5.26 +/- 0.45 microV), which did not vary significantly after a papaverine injection (4.99 +/- 0.75 microV). The pathology of the corpus cavernosum biopsy specimens revealed a smooth muscle cell thickened basal membrane, dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum, and increased numbers of fibroblasts, but ultrastructurally normal endothelial cells lining the sinusoids. There was no difference between samples from diabetic or nondiabetic patients, or from either side of the corpora cavernosa. The only pathologic change observed in the controls was mitochondrial swelling. CONCLUSION: CC-EMG is less invasive and a valuable method in patients with erectile dysfunction, whereas no specific findings were observed from penile biopsy specimens.
It is widely accepted opinion that male sexuality comprises more than an erected penis. This fact should be considered in the management of erectile dysfunction. Therefore, the valuation of sexual disturbances have to be essentially included in the general examination programme of erectile impotence. Several causes are known to contribute to an erectile dysfunction. The anamnesis can be taken as an important tool for classification of the erectile dysfunction. The following questions are helpful in the clinical practice: erectile dysfunction during sexual intercourse only but also during masturbation; spontaneous erections; dependence of the erectile impotence on special situations, partners and events; questions for somatic and psychosocial risks. Sexual therapy represents a complex intervention will be aim of improvement of the functional disturbances in consideration of the general risks for sexual impairments.
PURPOSE: A retrospective analysis of the MUSE clinical trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transurethral alprostadil in patients with erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients received doses of transurethral alprostadil in the clinic and those for whom a suitable dose was determined were treated at home with active drug or placebo for 3 months. Patients had undergone radical prostatectomy no less than 3 months before study entry. RESULTS: Of the 384 patients in whom radical prostatectomy was identified as a cause of erectile dysfunction 70.3% had an erection believed sufficient for intercourse in the clinic and 57.1% on active medication had sexual intercourse at least once at home. The product of clinic and home success rates (70.3 x 57.1%) was an overall success rate (the likelihood of active treatment to lead to intercourse at home) of 40.1%. The frequency of most adverse effects of radical prostatectomy was comparable to that of other organic etiologies of erectile dysfunction (1,127 patients). The percentage of patients with hypotension in the clinic was lower after radical prostatectomy compared to other erectile dysfunction etiologies (0.8 versus 4.2%, p < 0.001) but the percentage of patients with urethral pain/burning was higher (18.3 versus 10.4%, p = 0.027). No urinary tract infection, fibrosis or priapism occurred in the post-radical prostatectomy patients. CONCLUSIONS: Transurethral alprostadil is a well tolerated and efficacious method of treating erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy, although psychological changes associated with cancer and surgery may limit home response. The severe neurovascular deficit associated with prostatectomy neither limits the efficacy of transurethral alprostadil nor increases the risks.
A comparative study in 103 unselected patients with erectile dysfunction between MUSE up to 1000 micrograms and intracavernous Alprostadil (Prostavasin) up to 20 micrograms provided total response-rates of 43% (MUSE) vs 70% (Prostavasin). Complete rigid erections were reached in 10% (MUSE) vs 48% (Prostavasin). The average end-diastolic flow values in the deep penile arteries ranged between 9.2-9.4 cm/s after MUSE and 4.5-4.8 cm/s after i.c. Alprostadil confirming the investigator's assessment, that in the vast majority of patients MUSE were not able to induce a complete cavernous smooth muscle relaxation. In terms of side effects the reported penile pain/ burning-rate after MUSE was 31.4% compared to 10.6% after i.c. Alprostadil. In addition after MUSE clinically relevant systemic side-effects like dizziness, sweating and hypotension occurred in 5.8% with syncope in 1%. No circulatory side-effects were encountered after i.c. Alprostadil. Urethral bleeding after MUSE-application was observed in 4.8%. Due to the superior efficacy and lower side-effects self-injection therapy with Alprostadil remains the 'Gold Standard' in the management of male impotence. MUSE should be reserved for a subset of patients suffering from erectile dysfunction.