A primer on the restorative therapies for erectile dysfunction: a narrative review

Manish Narasimman; Max Sandler; Ari Bernstein; Justin Loloi; Russell G Saltzman; Helen Bernie; Ranjith Ramasamy

doi:10.1093/sxmrev/qeae012

A primer on the restorative therapies for erectile dysfunction: a narrative review

Sex Med Rev. 2024 Mar 17:qeae012. doi: 10.1093/sxmrev/qeae012. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Manish Narasimman¹, Max Sandler¹, Ari Bernstein², Justin Loloi³, Russell G Saltzman¹, Helen Bernie⁴, Ranjith Ramasamy¹

Affiliations

¹ Desai Sethi Urology Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
² Department of Urology, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY10016, United States.
³ Department of Urology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10467, United States.
⁴ Department of Urology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States.

PMID: 38494449
DOI: 10.1093/sxmrev/qeae012

Abstract

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common condition that affects millions worldwide. Patients and urologists alike are seeking alternative therapies that can provide long-lasting results in the treatment of ED. This review provides a comprehensive overview of restorative treatments available for ED, such as platelet-rich plasma, stem cell therapy, and shockwave therapy.

Objective: The aim of this narrative review is to provide a primer for urologists and general practitioners on the basics of implementing ED restorative therapies in their practice.

Methods: The PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases were searched for articles in the English language through August 31, 2023, that included key terms such as "erectile dysfunction," "restorative therapy," "shockwave therapy," "platelet-rich plasma," "stem cell therapy," and "stromal vascular fraction." Reference lists of selected studies were manually reviewed to find articles not identified by the initial database search.

Results: Shockwave therapy has demonstrated effectiveness in treating ED, with devices like the Medispec ED1000 and Storz Duolith showing statistically significant improvements in patient scores for International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-Erectile Function scores in clinical trials. In reported studies of platelet-rich plasma injections, a substantial percentage of patients reached a minimal clinically important difference in the IIEF-Erectile Function scale after treatment. Studies of ED treatment with stem cell therapy, while limited and with small sample sizes, have demonstrated encouraging improvements in patient scores for the abridged 5-item version of the IIEF after treatment.

Conclusion: Shockwave, platelet-rich plasma, and stem cell therapies are important, novel, noninvasive restorative treatments for ED that can provide relief for patients wishing to avoid a more invasive approach. While these therapies have shown promising results in clinical trials, more research is required to establish them as standardized and efficacious options in the management of ED.

Keywords: dysfunction; erectile; platelet; shockwave; stem cells.