[Evaluation of 452 patients with erectile dysfunction treated by combinations of vasoactive agents by penile...

In the past 15 years there has been continuous increase in the use of injections into the corpora cavernosa of different vasoactive drugs for treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). However, some of these drugs are very expensive, are not available everywhere, and have side effects. We therefore compared the success rate of the most widely used compounds, papaverine and regitine, in 452 patients (age range 26-85) with different types of ED. Each patient received in the clinic injections of papaverine, 6-25 mg, and regitine, 0.05-1.5 mg. When maximal rigidity of the penis (MRP) was > 80%, we instructed the patient to self-inject the drug at home, 5-30 minutes before coitus. If after 3 injections MRP was not > 80%, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) in an average dose of 10-25 mcg was added. If there was no response, papaverin + regitine + PGE1 were given in higher dosage, and atropine sulfate, 0.02 + 0.06 mg, was added if necessary. Of 452 patients, 305 (67.4%) had MRP > 80% after 3 injections of papaverine plus regitine. The other patients received PGE1 in addition. This was helpful in 61 patients (41.5%), while 55 (63.9%) required papaverine + regitine + prostin in higher doses. Of these, only 31 received papaverine + regitine + PGE1 + atropine sulfate. Of these, 20 (64.5%) reached MRP > 80%, and 11 (2.4%) MRP < 60. For these 11 patients, we recommended a penile prosthesis. Thus in 67.4% of the 452 patients, papaverine + regitine injections were effective; in 41.5%, PGE1; in 63.9%, papaverine + regitine + prostin + atropine sulfate. Only 11 (2.4%) did not react to intracorporeal injection. This progressive method of treatment enabled us to select the optimal dosage and combinations of compounds in 441/452 patients (97.5%) according to the severity of their dysfunction. During follow-up of 6 months, spontaneous erections without injection were achieved in 115 (26.0%).