Shah Jainik, Fidel Maximilian G, Bal Dhiraj S, Kharazi Armin, Roque Connor F, Ko Yool, Sidhom Karim, Bouhadana David, Petrella Francis, Patel Premal
Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Men's Health Clinic Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Can Urol Assoc J. 2024 Dec;18(12):420-424. doi: 10.5489/cuaj.8804.
Restorative therapies (RTs), including low-intensity shockwave therapy (Li-SWT) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), aim to restore natural erectile function. Many clinics offer these therapies for erectile dysfunction (ED) and Peyronie's disease (PD) with direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing. This study sought to investigate the landscape of RTs within Canadian clinics.
Online searches were made to identify clinics offering Li-SWT and/or PRP as an RT for treating ED and PD in Canada. Public websites were analyzed, followed by calling clinics for data on cost, treatment protocols, clinic ownership, success rates, and adjunctive therapies.
A total of 107 clinics were identified online, with a 68.2% call response rate (n=73). Of the respondents, 56 and 40 clinics provided Li-SWT and PRP therapies, respectively, with 23 clinics offering both. All clinics reported using RTs for ED, with 21 clinics offering Li-SWT and 22 clinics providing PRP for PD. Forty-three clinics provided costs and protocols for Li-SWT, while 33 clinics did so for PRP. The average cost ± standard deviation (CAD) of six sessions of Li-SWT was $2167.24±936.11 and one shot of PRP was $1478.68±591.98. Most (60.3%, n=44) clinics reported physician ownership, with a majority (n=28) being family medicine-trained. Seven clinics did not provide data and 22 were non-physician-owned. Ten clinics provided success rates, with an average of 87.3%.
Despite limited data supporting their routine clinical use, many clinics across Canada offer RTs for ED and PD with varying treatment protocols and increased costs. Further research is required to evaluate the efficacy of RT for ED and PD.
修复性疗法（RTs），包括低强度冲击波疗法（Li-SWT）和富血小板血浆（PRP），旨在恢复自然勃起功能。许多诊所通过直接面向消费者（DTC）的营销方式提供这些治疗勃起功能障碍（ED）和佩罗尼氏病（PD）的疗法。本研究旨在调查加拿大诊所内RTs的情况。
通过在线搜索来确定加拿大提供Li-SWT和/或PRP作为治疗ED和PD的RT的诊所。对公共网站进行分析，随后致电诊所获取有关费用、治疗方案、诊所所有权、成功率和辅助疗法的数据。
在线共识别出107家诊所，电话回复率为68.2%（n = 73）。在受访者中，分别有56家和40家诊所提供Li-SWT和PRP疗法，23家诊所两者都提供。所有诊所均报告使用RTs治疗ED，21家诊所提供Li-SWT治疗PD，22家诊所提供PRP治疗PD。43家诊所提供Li-SWT的费用和方案，33家诊所提供PRP的费用和方案。六次Li-SWT治疗的平均费用±标准差（加元）为2167.24±936.11，一次PRP注射的费用为1478.68±591.98。大多数（60.3%，n = 44）诊所报告为医生所有诊所，其中大多数（n = 28）医生接受过家庭医学培训。7家诊所未提供数据，22家为非医生所有。10家诊所提供成功率数据，平均成功率为87.3%。
尽管支持其常规临床应用的数据有限，但加拿大各地许多诊所提供用于ED和PD的RTs，治疗方案各异且费用增加。需要进一步研究以评估RTs治疗ED和PD的疗效。
