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Within-Patient Association between Improvement in Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Change in Sexual Function after
Tamim Kawakibi1, Fatoumata Barry2, Griffin J P McNamara3
1David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology : JVIR
|July 22, 2026
Summary
Prostatic artery embolization (PAE) for benign prostatic hyperplasia significantly improves urinary symptoms. Improved urinary function after PAE is associated with better erectile function, but not ejaculatory function.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Interventional Radiology
Background:
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) causes lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).
- Prostatic artery embolization (PAE) is a minimally invasive treatment for BPH.
- The impact of PAE on sexual function requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the association between improvement in urinary symptoms and changes in erectile or ejaculatory function after PAE for BPH.
Main Methods:
- Single-center retrospective study.
- 183 patients treated with PAE for BPH from 2014-2023.
- Assessment of urinary symptom severity (IPSS), erectile function (SHIM), and ejaculatory function (MSHQ-EjD) at baseline, 3, and 12 months post-PAE.
Main Results:
- Mean IPSS improved by 12.0 points post-PAE.
- Urinary symptom improvement was significantly associated with improved erectile function at 3 and 12 months (partial r = -0.17, P = .025; partial r = -0.25, P = .020).
- This association was stronger in patients with baseline erectile dysfunction and strong urinary responders achieved minimal clinically important difference in erectile function more often (26.3% vs 3.8%; P = .014).
- No significant association was found between urinary symptom improvement and ejaculatory function.
Conclusions:
- PAE effectively improves lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with BPH.
- Urinary symptom improvement following PAE is linked to better erectile function, particularly in those with pre-existing erectile dysfunction.
- PAE does not appear to significantly impact ejaculatory function.