Clinical outcomes of intracavernosal injection in postprostatectomy patients: a single-center experience

To evaluate the clinical outcomes of intracavernosal injection (ICI) use in an undifferentiated group of men with erectile dysfunction at various stages after radical prostatectomy.

Retrospective charts, mailed questionnaires, and a telephone survey of patients after radical prostatectomy prescribed ICI by a single urologist from January 2006 to January 2008. The patient demographics and prostate cancer profiles, current ICI use patterns, adverse outcome, and clinical efficacy were collected.

A total of 117 patients completed the questionnaire. The mean age was 65±6.2 years, and the patients had undergone radical prostatectomy 4.1±2.7 years earlier. Most patients had hypertension (38%) and dyslipidemia (26%); 51% of the patients actively used ICI, with a median of 3 attempts monthly. Sixty-eight percent of all patients were sexually active (98% of ICI users vs 36% of ICI nonusers, P<.001). In the sexually active patients, ICI was associated with significantly greater International Index of Erectile Function scores (20.8±4.1 vs 16.0±6.9, P=.008). ICI was most frequently discontinued because of patient-perceived ineffectiveness (48%), pain (21%), and prolonged erections (11%). Twenty-eight percent of patients had erections lasting longer than they had wished at some point in their treatment, with 10% incidence of priapism.

ICI use among patients after prostatectomy can be highly effective but has a significant attrition rate (49%). The identification of reasons for discontinued use can aid healthcare providers to support patients in the early period after adoption of ICI and to direct their counseling more effectively.