Project description:Cancer can cause sexual adverse effects by direct and indirect pathways. It can involve sexual organs, indirectly affect body image, or cause fatigue or depression with subsequent effects on libido. Erectile dysfunction (ED), the inability to obtain or maintain an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse, can also result from adverse effects of cancer treatment, such as fatigue, pain, or anxiety about therapy. In addition, depressed feelings about having cancer can affect sexuality, causing a range of signs and symptoms that can lead to ED. Chemotherapy, hormone therapy, surgery, and radiation can all cause sexual adverse effects. Additional factors that play a role include patient age and degree of ED before starting cancer treatment. In this article, we discuss how chemotherapy, hormone therapy, surgery, and radiation affect erectile function as well as possible treatment options for ED.
Project description:PurposeTo perform real-time quantitative measurements of penile rigidity for patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) using shear-wave elastography (SWE).Materials and methodsA total of 92 patients with clinically diagnosed ED filled out an abridged five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire and underwent SWE as well as penile color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) after intracavernosal injection for penile erection. Elasticity measurements were repeated on two sites of the corpus cavernosum (central and peripheral elasticity of corpus cavernosum [ECC]) and the glans penis during the erection phase. Correlations between penile elasticity and rigidity scores or IIEF-5 were evaluated statistically. Penile elasticity was also compared with the ED types based on CDUS.ResultsThe mean age of all patients was 53.5±13.4 years, and the mean IIEF-5 score was 9.78±5.01. The rigidity score and central ECC value demonstrated a significant correlation (r=-0.272; 95% confidence interval: -0.464 to -0.056; p=0.015). The IIEF-5 score was not significantly correlated with penile elasticity. Vascular ED patients showed significantly higher central ECC values than nonvascular ED patients (p<0.001). At a cut-off value of 8.05 kPa, the central ECC had a specificity of 41.5%, a sensitivity of 84.6%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.720 with a standard error of 0.059 (p=0.019) for predicting vascular ED.ConclusionsQuantitatively measuring Young's modulus of the corpus cavernosum using SWE could be an objective technique for assessing penile erectile rigidity and the vascular subtype in patients with ED.
Project description:Patients complaining of short penile length pose a challenge in urology practice. Those men who present seeking penile lengthening surgery usually overestimate 'normal' penile length, and may in often cases relate their penile length with the degree of masculinity and self-esteem. Penile prosthetic devices are the gold standard treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) after failure of conservative options. Penile shortening is the most prevalent long-term complaint after successful inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) placement. This has a significant impact on patient's overall satisfaction and quality of life. Using PubMed, we performed a thorough literature review of the current procedures of preservation or enhancement of penile length as well as reported perioperative protocols in patients undergoing penile prosthesis (PP) insertion. Keywords used were "penile lengthening", "penile enhancement", "penile girth", "inflatable penile prosthesis" and "glans augmentation". Several surgical techniques can be offered in the setting of penile shortening concurrently with PP insertion, e.g., sub-coronal approach of PP placement, sliding technique, modified sliding technique (MoST), multiple-slide technique (MuST), and tunica mesh expansion procedure (TMEP). Adjuvant techniques can also improve subjective penile length include, ventral phalloplasty, suprapubic lipectomy, suspensory ligament release and use of expanding penile implants. Preoperative protocols including use of a vacuum erectile device, traction therapy also seem to improve postoperative outcomes, minimizing postoperative pain, and encouraging the early device use. Currently, there is no consensus among experts on a particular lengthening procedure or when they can be performed to optimize outcomes. Furthermore, it is imperative to set proper expectations before surgery, with extensive patient and partner counseling. When used in the properly selected patient, penile lengthening procedures show promising results with minimal complication rates.
Project description:The mechanisms of adenosine and specific adenosine receptor subtypes in promoting penile rehabilitation remain unclear. Single-cell RNA sequencing of human corpus cavernosum, adenosine deaminase (ADA) and adenosine receptors knock-out mice (ADA-/-, A1-/-, A2a-/-, A2b-/-, and A3-/-), and primary corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells are used to determine receptor subtypes responsible for adenosine-induced erection. Three rat models are established to characterize refractory erectile dysfunction (ED): age-related ED, bilateral cavernous nerve crush related ED (BCNC), and diabetes mellitus-induced ED. In single-cell RNA sequencing data, the corpus cavernosum of ED patients show a decrease in adenosine A1, A2a and A2b receptors. In vivo, A2b receptor knock-out abolishes adenosine-induced erection but not that of A1, A2a, or A3 receptor. Under hypoxic conditions in vitro, activating the A2b receptor increases HIF-1α and decreases PDE5 expression. In refractory ED models, activating the A2b receptor with Bay 60-6583 improves erectile function and down-regulates HIF-1α and TGF-β. Administering Dipyridamole (40 mg Kg-1) to BCNC rats improve penile adenosine levels and erectile function. Our study reveals that the A2b receptor mediates adenosine-induced penile erection. Activating the A2b receptor promotes penile rehabilitation of refractory ED by alleviating hypoxia and fibrosis.
Project description:Penile echo-color Doppler ultrasound (PCDU) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of arterial erectile dysfunction (ED). Its reliability in patients with anxiety was questioned, due to false-positive results. To assess the penile hemodynamic response to intracavernous injection (ICI) of alprostadil in patients with anxiety-related ED. Patients with non-organic ED and a 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) score ranging between 5 and 7 were enrolled. They were asked to compile the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire to assess the degree of anxiety and were divided according to the GAD-7 score in Group 1 with minimal level of anxiety (n = 20), Group 2 with mild anxiety (n = 20), Group 3 with moderate anxiety (n = 20), and Group 4 with severe anxiety (n = 20). Peak systolic velocity (PSV) and the end-diastolic velocity (EDV) were sampled in all patients, through PCDU in the flaccid state, and 5, 10, 15, and 20 min after ICI of alprostadil at the standard dose of 10 μg. In penile flaccidity, the patients showed a mean PSV of 8.0 ± 4.0 cm/s. The degree of anxiety was found to significantly influence both PSV and EDV at all assessed time-points. Particularly, it was negatively associated with the PSV at time 5 (r = -0.9, p < 0.01), 10 (r = -0.9, p < 0.01), 15 (r = -0.9, p < 0.01), and 20 (r = -0.7, p < 0.01) minutes, and positively with the EDV at time 5 (r = 0.7, p < 0.01), 10 (r = 0.6, p < 0.01), 15 (r = 0.5, p < 0.01), and 20 (r = 0.3, p < 0.01) minutes. Although all patients showed a mean dynamic PSV > 25 cm/s (which excluded an arterial ED according to the current guidelines), a peculiar hemodynamic pattern was found in patients with severe anxiety. In these patients, normal PSV values were reached only after 20 min from ICI, suggesting a "late-responder" profile. If further studies confirm the existence of a distinct hemodynamic profile in patients with severe anxiety, sampling the PSV and the EDV values could be proposed, for detecting patients with severe anxiety-related ED. Dynamic PCDU could be considered an accurate diagnostic test in patients with non-organic ED, since zero false-positive results were found in the present study. PSV in the flaccid state is not able to discriminate between arterial- or non-organic ED.
Project description:Penile hypersensitivity plays an important role in premature ejaculation (PE), but differences in penile sensitivity among subtypes of PE are unknown. Therefore, we compared penile sensory thresholds in PE subtypes of lifelong and acquired PE, PE with and without erectile dysfunction (ED), PE with an intravaginal ejaculation latency time ?1 min and >1 min, and PE with and without orgasmic pleasure perceptual dysfunction. During August 2014 to January 2016, 136 patients with PE were included. Penile warm, cold, and vibratory thresholds were measured. Data of clinical characteristics, sexual life, Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) score, and the 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) score were collected. Vibratory thresholds of the PE with ED group were higher in the right coronal sulcus (median amplitude: 4.92 vs 3.65 ? m, P = 0.02) and the right penile shaft (median amplitude: 3.87 vs 3.30 ? m, P = 0.03), while differences in penile sensory thresholds between other subtypes were not significant. The median PEDT score was lower in the PE without ED group (12 vs 14, P < 0.001). The IIEF-5 and PEDT scores were negatively correlated (r = -0.29, P < 0.001). Patients with orgasmic pleasure perceptual dysfunction had a lower median IIEF-5 score (20 vs 21, P = 0.02). Patients with PE and ED had lower penile sensitivity, and ED was associated with more severe symptoms and weaker orgasmic pleasure perception. In men with PE, management of comorbid ED is necessary. In case of side effects in erectile function, topical anesthetics should be cautiously used in men with PE and ED.
Project description:ObjectiveTo investigate the rate of erectile dysfunction (ED) after pelvic ring fracture (PRF).DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsA systematic literature search of the Cochrane, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science Library databases was conducted in January 2020. Included were original studies performed on humans assessing ED after PRF according to the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire and fracture classification following Young and Burgess, Tile or Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen/Orthopedic Trauma Association. Furthermore, interventional cohort studies assessing the effect of penile rehabilitation therapy with phosphodiesterase-5-inhibitors (PDE-5-I) on IIEF-5 scores compared before and after treatment were included. Results were presented as forest plots of proportions of patients with ED after PRF or mean changes on IIEF-5 questionnaires before and after penile rehabilitation. Studies not included in the quantitative analysis were narratively summarised. Risk of bias assessment was conducted using the revised tool for the Quality Assessment on Diagnostic Accuracy Studies.ResultsThe systematic literature search retrieved 617 articles. Seven articles were included in the qualitative analysis and the meta-analysis. Pooled proportions revealed 37% of patients with ED after suffering any form of PRF (result on probability scale pr=0.37, 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.50). Patients after 3 months of penile rehabilitation therapy reported a higher IIEF-5 score than before (change score=6.5 points, 95% CI: 2.54 to 10.46, p value=0.0013).ConclusionDespite some heterogeneity and limited high-quality research, this study concludes that patients suffering from any type of PRF have an increased risk of developing ED. Oral intake of PDE-5-I for the purpose of penile rehabilitation therapy increases IIEF-5 scores and may relevantly influence quality-of-life in these patients.Prospero registration numberCRD42020169699.
Project description:(Erectile dysfunction) ED during the radical prostatectomy (RP) treatment is caused by surgical injury of the cavernous nerve which is the final neuronal pathways of penile erection. We performed microarray experiment focused on theto understanding the gene signature alteration in the corporal cavernous tissue of the CNI-induced ED rat model. A total of 6 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups, sham operation (n=3) and bilateral CN resection (n=3) group. At 12 weeks after CN resection, penile tissue was harvested and microarray experiment was performed.
Project description:Pericytes are known to play critical roles in vascular development and homeostasis. However, the distribution of cavernous pericytes and their roles in penile erection is unclear. Herein we report that the pericytes are abundantly distributed in microvessels of the subtunical area and dorsal nerve bundle of mice, followed by dorsal vein and cavernous sinusoids. We further confirmed the presence of pericytes in human corpus cavernosum tissue and successfully isolated pericytes from mouse penis. Cavernous pericyte contents from diabetic mice and tube formation of cultured pericytes in high glucose condition were greatly reduced compared with those in normal conditions. Suppression of pericyte function with anti-PDGFR-? blocking antibody deteriorated erectile function and tube formation in vivo and in vitro diabetic condition. In contrast, enhanced pericyte function with HGF protein restored cavernous pericyte content in diabetic mice, and significantly decreased cavernous permeability in diabetic mice and in pericytes-endothelial cell co-culture system, which induced significant recovery of erectile function. Overall, these findings showed the presence and distribution of pericytes in the penis of normal or pathologic condition and documented their role in the regulation of cavernous permeability and penile erection, which ultimately explore novel therapeutics of erectile dysfunction targeting pericyte function.