Preference for oral sildenafil or intracavernosal injection in patients with erectile dysfunction already using intracavernosal injection for > 1 year

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and preference for oral sildenafil or intracavernosal injection (ICI) therapy in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) already using ICI. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 69 patients with ED (mean age 55.1 years, sd 12.3) on ICI therapy with triple solution (papaverine/phentolamine/prostaglandin-E-1 ) for > 1 year were recruited for the study. Their erection quality, adverse reactions and selection rate of oral sildenafil or ICI as treatment, after using sildenafil for 3 months, and the reasons for their preferences, were compared between the regimens, RESULTS Overall, 52 men (75%) responded to sildenafil; of these men, the erection quality with ICI was better than that with sildenafil in 46 (89%) and 16 (31%) preferred ICI as their treatment. Eighteen patients (35%) used each treatment alternately and 18 (35%) used sildenafil exclusively. The main reason given by patients for choosing ICI was a better quality of erection (74%). CONCLUSION More patients with ED and using ICI preferred it as their main treatment than was expected, even though they had a good response to oral sildenafil. A better quality of erection with ICI was the reason why experienced patients chose this method, differing from the choice of patients starting treatment for ED.