[Pharmacologic stimulation of ejaculation with midodrine hydrochloride (Gutron) for medically assisted reproduction...

Midodrine hydrochloride (Gutron) is proposed to induce ejaculation in spinal injury patients desiring paternity as an alternative to vibromassage, electrostimulated ejaculation and surgical collection of spermatozoa. The authors report their experience in 10 spinal injury patients.

14 trials of pharmacologically-induced ejaculation were performed in a context of medically assisted reproduction (MAR) in 10 spinal injury patients (7 with paraplegia > T11; 1 with paraplegia < or = T11; 2 with quadriplegia) an average of 4.5 years after the injury. Patients had a mean age of 28.5 years (range: 18 to 36 years). Nine had persistent reflex erections. After IC injection of prostglandin E, 10 to 30 mg of Gutron was administered by slow i.v. infusion. Spermatozoa were collected during antegrade ejaculation and/or in previously alkalinised urine.

Ejaculation was obtained in 10 cases (71.4%), either antegrade (7 cases), or retrograde (3 cases). The 4 failures corresponded to ejaculation failure in 3 cases and adverse effects of Gutron (hypertension) in 1 case. However, storage of spermatozoa could be performed in only 4 cases (40%), as pyospermia or severe necrospermia were observed in 6 cases.

Midodrine hydrochloride gives good results in terms of ejaculation in spinal injury patients. However, the quality of semen collected is often poor due to the long interval since the initial trauma. Midodrine hydrochloride, ideally used after antibiotic treatment, can nevertheless constitute an alternative to other techniques.