Background: Extracorporeal shockwave therapy [ESWT] has been introduced as a novel therapeutic approach for treating erectile dysfunction [ED] and has shown promising results
The aim of the work: This study aims to evaluate the outcome of using ESWT on naïve patients with mild erectile dysfunction among patients who do not respond to or comply with the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 [PDE5] inhibitors.
Patients and Methods: This prospective interventional study included 150 patients diagnosed with erectile dysfunction divided into two groups: a naïve patient's group [75 patients] and a non-compliant to PDE5 inhibitors group [75 patients]. Erectile function was assessed using the Arabic version of the International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF] and the Erectile Hardness Scale [EHS].
Results: The IIEF scores increased from 14.19 ± 2.54 preoperatively to 22.23 ± 5.85 postoperatively in naïve patients, and from 13.72 ± 2.79 to 21.82 ± 5.72 in the non-compliant group. The EHS scores increased from 2.27 ± 0.34 to 3.43 ± 0.64 in naïve patients and from 2.18 ± 0.34 to 3.58 ± 0.58 in the non-compliant group. While IIEF and EHS scores increased postoperatively compared to preoperatively, there was no statistically significant difference between the naïve and non-compliant groups regarding pre- and postoperative IIEF and EHS assessments [P > 0.05].
Conclusion:  Both treatment-naïve patients with mild ED and those who respond to but do not comply with PDE5 inhibitors may benefit from extracorporeal shockwave therapy, a noninvasive approach that appears effective and safe.