Recent studies indicate that low-intensity shockwave therapy provides no additional benefits for men who’ve undergone radical prostatectomies. Treatment with PDE5 inhibitors alone remains the preferred therapy.
Low-intensity shockwave therapy has emerged over the past couple of years as a promising new treatment for erectile dysfunction. However, recent research indicates that LIST might not be appropriate for men undergoing penile rehabilitation after prostate surgery.
The basic theory behind shockwave therapy as an ED treatment is that the low-intensity sound waves trigger the development of new blood vessels and help to clear plaque from arteries that supply the penis, according to Healthline.com.
Still an Experiment Therapy
Although there are multiple medical clinics in this country and abroad offering shockwave therapy as a treatment for ED, it is still essentially experimental and not fully vetted scientifically.
Most recently, a Brazilian study compared the effects of combination therapy — daily doses of 5 mg tadalafil and shockwave therapy — with tadalafil treatment alone on men who’d undergone radical prostatectomy. That study’s findings were published online by The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
77 Men Complete the Study
Initially enrolled in the study were 92 men, only 77 of whom stuck with the program through the final follow-up. Divided randomly into two groups of roughly the same size, the first was treated with a single tablet of 5 mg tadalafil daily, while the second got both tadalafil and shockwave therapy.
Shockwave therapy was administered to four areas of the penile anatomy at a rate of 2,400 impulses a week for a total period of eight weeks. Of the 77 patients who remained with the study for all eight weeks, 41 were in the control group, getting only tadalafil, and 36 were in the experimental group that got both tadalafil and shockwave therapy.
No Significant Difference Detected
Study participants completed the self-administered International Index of Erectile Function-5 questionnaire at both the outset and the conclusion of the study. Although those who received combination therapy scored marginally higher than those who only got tadalafil, researchers determined that the difference between the two groups wasn’t statistically significant. In effect, this means that post-prostatectomy patients got no real additional benefit from the shockwave therapy.
The Brazilian study was focused specifically on the benefits of shockwave therapy as an added treatment for post-prostatectomy patients and should not be interpreted as indicative of its potential as a treatment for purely vasculogenic ED.
Drug Therapy Works Best
For now, it appears that men who’ve undergone radical prostatectomies will benefit most from a daily dose of a PDE5-inhibiting drug, such as tadalafil (Cialis). These drugs are designed to temporarily optimize blood flow to the penis, making it easier for men to get and keep an erection suitable for intercourse.
Tadalafil and the other PDE5 inhibitors, including Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Staxyn, and Stendra, as well as their generics, remain the preferred treatment for men whose impotence is caused by insufficient blood flow.
Advantages of Ordering Online
If you use one of these drugs and would like to order it online, consider placing your orders through eDrugstore.com, a longtime online medical facilitator based in Tempe, Arizona. Prices at eDrugstore encompass not just the drugs you’re ordering but a number of time- and money-saving services as well.
These include free shipping and handling, as well as a complimentary online consultation service, which sets up a telemedicine exchange between you and a physician licensed to practice in your state. If the doctor decides that you’re an appropriate candidate for an ED drug, a prescription will be issued. To learn more, visit eDrugstore’s Erectile Dysfunction page.
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