Efficacy and safety of vacuum erection device in the treatment of erectile dysfunction after radical prostatec-tomy

Objectives: To explore the efficacy and safety of vacuum erection device( VED) in the treatment of patients with erectile dysfunction( ED) after radical prostatectomy( RP). Method: Eight cases with ED after RP who were hospitalized from March 2009 to December 2012 were randomly divided into 2 groups. The control group( n = 6) was given sildenafil,while the observation group( n = 8) was given the therapy of VED combined with sildenafil. Then 2 groups were compared in terms of the international index of erectile function- 5( IIEF-5),the length and circumference of the penis,penile erection hardness score and the incidence of adverse reactions before and after a 3- month treatment. Results: The IIEF- 5 scores of the 2 groups after the treatment both increased,and the score of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group( P 0. 05). In the observation group,the cured,markedly effective,effective and ineffective cases were respectively 2,5,1 and 0,while in the control group,the cases were 0,2,2 and 2. The curative effect of the observation group is better than that of the control group( P 0. 05). After the treatment,the penile length and circumference of the observation group increased. The increase is significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group.( P 0. 05). The penile erection hardness grades of the two groups also improved with the observation group revealing significantly higher grades( P 0. 05). The adverse reactions of the two groups were slight. Conclusion: The therapy of VED combined with sildenafil is effective and safe in treating patients with ED after RP.