Thirty million men in the U.S. and more than 300 million worldwide suffer from erectile dysfunction. The majority of the cases are caused by heart problems and insufficient blood flow, studies show. While millions of men take popular medications like Viagra or Cialis to threat the condition, they don’t work for everyone.
The new answer
Medtronic is now testing a stent that is placed in the penis to help men whose erectile dysfunction is caused by clogged arteries. The study found 68 percent improvement in erectile function after three months in 30 men with an average age of 60 who were implanted with the stents.
“We set out to show this could be done and it didn’t hurt people. It was a first-in-man trial and the fact that it was feasible and improved blood flow is amazing. This is the birth of a whole new approach to erectile dysfunction,” Jason Rogers, director of interventional cardiology at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento said.
It’s the first study to use a stent for erectile dysfunction, typically stents are used to keep blood flowing around the heart.
The next step
Medtronic is now working on its second study with about 350 male patients. While more studies need to be done, Rogers believes it is promising results for men battling sexual problems.
“Achieving a good erection requires a variety of vascular components to work well, including a good flow of blood to the penis through the arteries,” Rogers said. While drugs like Viagra relax the spongy tissue to allow the blood to enter, “if you don’t have good inflow into the penis, it doesn’t matter how much that tissue relaxes, you don’t have a good erection,” he said.
ED drugs available
As scientists research different ways to treat erectile dysfunction, Viagra and Cialis are both FDA approved to treat the condition. eDrugstore sells these medications through a secure online pharmacy. For more information please check out our website.
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