Experience with intracavernous injection in the treatment of erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy: dose considerations

We sought to identify factors influencing dose maintenance of intracavernous (IC) injection among patients with ED following radical prostatectomy. A total of 93 patients underwent prostatectomy and received IC treatment for ED, including PGE1 single therapy (n = 53) and triple therapy (n = 40). In the PGE1-only group, the maintenance dosage was significantly correlated with preoperative sexual function and nerve sparing (NS) (P<0.05). For example, the maintenance dose among patients with no, unilateral and bilateral NS was 10.8 +/- 6.6 mu g (0.54 +/- 0.33 ml), 10.8 +/- 3.8 mu g (0.54 +/- 0.19 ml) and 6.4 +/- 4.6 mu g (0.32 +/- 0.23 ml), respectively. In terms of preoperative sexual function, the maintenance dose among non-ED versus ED patients was 0.38 +/- 0.25 ml (7.6 +/- 5.0 mu g) and 0.59 +/- 0.31 ml (11.8 +/- 6.2 mu g), respectively. No significant correlation was observed between the maintenance dose and NS or preoperative sexual function among the triple-therapy patients or between the maintenance dose and age, body mass index, systemic diseases and initiation of ED treatment among all patients (P>0.05). Thus, maintenance dose of PGE1 therapy could be partly determined by NS status and prior ED of patients. International Journal of Impotence Research (2011) 23, 146-150; doi: 10.1038/ijir.2011.21; published online 9 June 2011