Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a very common complication in men with diabetes mellitus (DM). Low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (Li-ESWT) offers a promising nonsurgical treatment option for ED. A systematic scoping review investigating the outcomes of Li-ESWT in diabetic men with ED has not yet been performed.
To systematically review animal and clinical studies related to the use of Li-ESWT for treatment of DM-related ED.
PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched, unrestricted by dates or study design.
We included qualitative studies, quantitative studies, primary research studies, meta-analyses, and research letters written in English. Full text reviewing was completed in all animal and human studies discussing Li-ESWT for the treatment of ED in subjects with DM. Data extracted included the journal citation, publication year, country of origin, study design, and a summary of the pertinent findings.
Our search yielded nine clinical studies and ten animal studies. The results of the clinical studies suggest that Li-ESWT is a safe and effective treatment in men with well-controlled DM and moderate or better ED. However, the benefit is less durable in diabetic men than non-diabetic men. The results of the animal studies suggest that Li-ESWT can significantly improve erectile function in diabetic rat models with ED.
The examined studies present encouraging results for the use of Li-ESWT to treat diabetic men with ED. Future studies, particularly robust randomized controlled trials, are necessary to confirm these findings and provide long-term follow-up. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Andrology. 2022 Jun 01 [Epub ahead of print]
Matthew M Mason, Raghav K Pai, John M Masterson, Soum D Lokeshwar, Kevin Y Chu, Ranjith Ramasamy
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA., Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA., Department of Urology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.