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Treatment of erectile dysfunction by perineal exercise, electromyographic biofeedback, and electrical stimulation
Marijke Van Kampen1, Willy De Weerdt, Hubert Claes
1Department of Physiotherapy, University Hospital, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. marijke.vankampen@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
Background And Purpose:
Only a few investigators have described the involvement of the perineal muscles in the process of human erection. The aim of this research was to evaluate a re-education program for men with erection problems of different etiologies.
Subjects And Methods:
Fifty-one patients with erectile dysfunction were treated with pelvic-floor exercises, biofeedback, and electrical stimulation.
Results:
The results of the interventions can be summarized as follows: 24 patients (47%) regained a normal erection, 12 patients (24%) improved, and 6 patients (12%) did not make any progress. Nine patients (18%) did not complete the therapy. On the basis of several variables, a prediction equation was generated to determine the factors that would predict the effect of the interventions. The outcome was most favorable in men with venous-occlusive dysfunction.
Discussion And Conclusion:
Comparison of the results of the physical therapy protocol reported here with those obtained for other interventions reported in the literature shows that a pelvic-floor muscle program may be a noninvasive alternative for the treatment of patients with erectile dysfunction caused by venous occlusion.