Now men with moderate (as opposed to only mild) erectile dysfunction have been found to be good candidates for Low-Intensity Shock Wave Therapy.
A study in The Journal of Urology, from 8/22, showed that 79% of men with moderate ED treated with LI-ESWT showed clinical improvement compared to 0% in the placebo group. The clinical trial was double-blind, randomized, and sham-controlled clinical- the gold standard for studies.
“Moderate ED” is defined as difficulty getting and maintaining an erection between 25% and 50% of the time. Previous studies of the efficacy of LI-ESWT for ED had only been on men with mild ED. (“Mild ED” is defined as difficulty getting and maintaining an erection less than 25% of the time.)
Often men with moderate ED will not respond to oral medications (PDE5 inhibitors). So the results showing they will have clinically significant improvement from LI-ESWT is important, because treating them with LiST may mean they respond or have a significantly improved response from oral medication, or may not need medication all together.
LI-ESWT are painless pressure (“shock”) waves that are applied to the penis through a probe on the skin. It is believed that the shock waves cause mild trauma to the blood vessels, which then release growth factors. These growth factors stimulate the formation of new blood vessels (neoangeogenesis) as well as repair of the lining of the existing blood vessels (the endothelium). Other theories suggest that it may break up the plaque blocking the blood flow in small vessels, or it may cause stem cells to migrate to the area, which then create new blood vessels.
At Maze we follow the published protocol which consists of two treatments per week, for three weeks (for a total of six treatments). This is followed by a break of three weeks. It is then followed by another set of six treatments over three weeks.
Our results with men with mild ED treated with LI-ESWT have been excellent, and we are looking forward to now treating men with moderate ED with LI-ESWT. For more information, contact us for a free phone consult. We’re happy to help!
