The current study sought to clarify the role of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE-5i) and a vacuum erection device (VED) in penile rehabilitation after laparoscopic nerve-preserving radical proctectomy (LNRP) for rectal cancer. Participants were assigned to one of the following arms-no-intervention, nightly use of sildenafil 25 mg for 3 months after surgery, or concurrent use of nightly sildenafil 25 mg/day for 3 months and a vacuum erection device (VED) 10 to 15 minutes/day for 3 months-in a nonrandomized fashion. All participants had a follow-up of over 12 months prospectively, and patients had baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month assessment based on the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5). Seventy-one cases were included in final analyses. In the no-intervention group, the mean baseline IIEF-5 score of 21.9 decreased rapidly to 5.0 at 3 months (p < .001), 9.2 at 6 months (p < .001), and stayed at 10.9 at 12 months (p < .001). In the single therapy group, the mean baseline IIEF-5 score of 22.4 decreased dramatically to 9.0 at 3 months (p < .001), 14.9 at 6 months (p = .005), and stayed at 15.1 at 12 months (p = .005). In the combined therapy group, the mean baseline IIEF-5 score of 23.0 decreased slightly to 15.0 at 3 months (p = .005), 18.0 at 6 months (p = .038), and maintained at 18.7 at 12 months (p = .163). Findings suggested an over 50% decline in the quality of erection function of the patients after LNRP. The early use of PDE-5i alone or combined use of PDE-5i and VED after LNRP maintained erectile function at 12 months.
American journal of men's health. 2016 Aug 24 [Epub ahead of print]
Haijun Deng, Dong Liu, Xiangming Mao, Xiaoliang Lan, Hao Liu, Guoxin Li
NanFang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China., Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China., NanFang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China .