THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

William Dutton, MD*

ABSTRACT

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a pathological condition of the male body that has a huge negative impact not only on the physical health of a man, but also on his psychological well-being. Also, erectile dysfunction negatively affects the relationship of a man with his sexual partner, destroys the psychological comfort in the personal life of a couple, both married and in a freer relationship, and often causes family breakdown, indirectly affecting the lives of the couple’s children. The main non-invasive methods of treatment for erectile dysfunction include maintaining a healthy lifestyle (avoiding bad habits, eating a balanced ration, exercising and playing sports), taking oral medications (mainly phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors), topical ointments, intraurethral suppositories and vacuum devices to improve erection. As a rule, first-line ED treatment methods include lifestyle normalization: cessation of smoking, alcohol, fatty and spicy foods, increased physical activity, weight loss, and intake of vitamin and mineral complexes. Of the first-line drugs, the most common are orally administered drugs, mainly in form of pills. In severe cases of erectile dysfunction, invasive treatments are sometimes used, including surgically implanted prosthetic of cavernous bodies of the penis or intracavernous injections. Promising new treatments for erectile dysfunction, developed in recent years, include shock wave therapy, external removable prosthetic devices, intracavernous injections of platelet-rich plasma and stem cells. The goal of this paper is to review the latest advances in the treatment of erectile dysfunction, which have the potential to change the treatment paradigm to achieve the most effective outcome with minimal risk to the patient.

Keywords: Erectile dysfunction, intracavernous injections, external penile prosthesis, treatment paradigm.