Islam Rayhan, Rahaman Khandakar Shafiur, Hawlader Mohammad Delwer Hossain
School of Health & Life Sciences, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
RANAS Ltd. - Spin-off of Eawag, Zurich, Switzerland.
J Family Reprod Health. 2023 Jun;17(2):93-99. doi: 10.18502/jfrh.v17i2.12872.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common cause of sexual disorders in men with limited treatment options. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of low-intensity extra corporal shockwave therapy (LI-ESWT) in patients suffering from ED.
A single-group, pre-test, and post-test pre-experimental study were conducted. Thirty-one ED patients were prospectively selected according to the eligibility criteria. In each session, 3000 shocks were applied at 5 points over the penis. Eight sessions were delivered in total with a 2-3-day interval. The patient's condition was assessed using the International Index of Electric Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire at baseline and one month after the last treatment session. Paired t-test was used to determine the difference between the pre-test and post-test.
Mean age of the patients was 44.6 (± 14.70) ranging from 25 to 78 years. The majority of them were married (83.9%) and service providers (51.6%). We have also found 51.6% overweight, 9.7% obese, 48.4% diabetic, 45.2% hypertensive, 12.9% with enlarged prostate, 45.2% smoker, 25.8% alcoholic, and 71% with sleep disturbances. During the pre-test, 9.7% had severe ED and 51.6% had moderate ED. After the treatment, no patients were found with severe ED, and few of them had moderate ED (9.7%). The mean difference in IIEF-5 score during the pre-test and post-test was statistically significant (p= < 0.001).
The study showed efficacy of LI-ESWT in a subset of patients with ED. Future studies with larger sample size, placebo group, and longer follow-up periods are recommended.
勃起功能障碍（ED）是男性性功能障碍的常见原因，治疗选择有限。本研究旨在确定低强度体外冲击波疗法（LI-ESWT）对ED患者的疗效。
进行了一项单组、预测试和后测试的实验前研究。根据纳入标准前瞻性选择了31例ED患者。每次治疗时，在阴茎上的5个点施加3000次冲击波。共进行8次治疗，间隔2-3天。在基线和最后一次治疗后1个月，使用国际勃起功能指数（IIEF-5）问卷评估患者状况。采用配对t检验确定测试前和测试后的差异。
患者的平均年龄为44.6（±14.70）岁，年龄范围为25至78岁。他们中的大多数已婚（83.9%），职业为服务行业（51.6%）。我们还发现51.6%超重，9.7%肥胖，48.4%患有糖尿病，45.2%患有高血压，12.9%前列腺肿大，45.2%吸烟，25.8%饮酒，71%有睡眠障碍。测试前，9.7%患有重度ED，51.6%患有中度ED。治疗后，未发现重度ED患者，只有少数患者患有中度ED（9.7%）。测试前和测试后IIEF-5评分的平均差异具有统计学意义（p = <0.001）。
该研究表明LI-ESWT对一部分ED患者有效。建议未来进行更大样本量、设置安慰剂组和更长随访期的研究。
