Current treatment and future perspectives for erectile dysfunction.

During the last fifteen years the field of erectile dysfunction has grown tremendously, offering several treatment options to impotent patients, such as intracavernosal pharmacotherapy, vacuum therapy, penile vascular surgery and penile prosthetic surgery. Several multicenter clinical trials have been undertaken and numerous studies have been published, showing that the 'gold standard' treatment does not exist. As new oral, intraurethral and intracavernosal medications are added to the armamentarium of physicians and even more will be available for physicians and patients in the near future, the question becomes apparent: which treatment and when? The present paper critically reviews the existing information on currently available treatment options, and discusses future perspectives based on data from ongoing clinical trials. Considerations for the development of a new management strategy are also discussed.