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PURPOSE: Endovascular therapy of erection-related arteries was shown to be a promising treatment option for patients with severe erectile dysfunction. Purpose of this study was to assess the longer-term safety and clinical success rate of endovascular revascularization of erection-related arteries with the Angiolite BTK stent in patients with arteriogenic erectile dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 147 consecutive men (63.5±9.3 years) with erectile dysfunction due to 345 atherosclerotic lesions underwent endovascular revascularization. Patients received an International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-15 questionnaire at 30.3±7.2 months (follow-up [FU] period no less than 18 months) after stenting. An improvement by 4 points in the erectile function domain consisting of 6 questions (IIEF-6) was defined as minimal clinically important difference (MCID). RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in 99% of lesions. One major adverse event occurred after endovascular revascularization. Sixty-eight (46%) patients completed their latest FU at least 18 months following the last intervention. Minimal clinically important difference was achieved in 54% (37/68) of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with arteriogenic erectile dysfunction not responding to phosphodiesterase-5-inhibitors (PDE-5-Is), endovascular therapy with a novel thin-strut sirolimus-eluting stent is a safe and effective treatment option during short- and longer-term FU. CLINICAL IMPACT: Patients with severe erectile dysfunction profit greatly from endovascular therapy of erection-related arteries. Stable clinical outcomes are seen beyond a 1-year timeframe. It is proven that, the drug-eluting stent therapy for atherosclerotic ED in patients who have not responded to PDE-5-I therapy is safe and effective during longer-term follow-up.

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Background: The extent of arterial disease in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) non-responsive to intracavernosal injection of Alprostadil is of importance for therapeutic options. However, published evidence, in particular angiographically validated is scarce. Here we investigated arterial lesion patterns in this specific patient cohort by selective angiography. Patients and methods: A cohort of 239 patients received a clinical and duplex-sonographic workup for ED of suspected vascular origin. Duplex ultrasound of the cavernosal arteries was performed after intracavernosal injection of 10 µg Alprostadil. Consequently, standardized workup included grading of the erectile and determination of peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end-diastolic velocity (EDV) in both cavernosal arteries. PSV-values below 30 cm/sec indicated reduced arterial flow, whereas EDV-values above 15 cm/sec indicated a venous leak of the pudendal veins. All patients with suspected arterial ED based on duplex sonography underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Endovascular therapy was carried out in ED patients not responsive or with significant side effects to PDE-5-inhibitors or Alprostadil by selective angiographic depiction of erection-related arteries. Results: 54 patients with a mean age of 61.2 (±9.8) years underwent angioplasty of erectionr elated arteries. Out of these 48/54 (89%) patients presented with an erection considered insufficient for penetration (E0-E3) subsequent to intracavernous application of 10 µg Alprostadil. 14/48 (29%) patients had bilateral arterial obstructions and 34/48 (71%) had unilateral disease. Commonly affected was the internal pudendal artery (n = 31, 65%), followed closely by the common penile artery (n = 30, 64%). The least affected arteries were the dorsal penile (n = 6, 13%), hypogastric (n = 4, 8%), common iliac (n = 4, 8%), cavernosal (n = 4, 8%), and inferior gluteal (n = 1, 2%) arteries. Conclusions: Arterial obstructions amenable to endovascular revascularization are frequent in patients non-responsive to intracavernosal prostaglandin administration. Therapeutic strategies in ED patients non-responsive to conservative measures should therefore consider endovascular treatment opportunities.

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BACKGROUND: Arteriogenic erectile dysfunction is a common disease oftentimes not satisfactory treatable with medical therapy. AIM: To assess the safety and clinical success rate of endovascular revascularization of erection-related arteries with the angiolite BTK stent in patients with arteriogenic erectile dysfunction. METHODS: A total of 100 consecutive men (61.8 ± 10 years) with atherosclerotic lesions in erection-related arteries agreed to participate and were included into a single-center all-comers registry. Endovascular therapy with angiolite BTK drug-eluting stents was performed on a total of 211 lesions. Patients received a baseline International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-15 questionnaire at first presentation and 3 and 12 months after stenting. An improvement by 4 points in the erectile function domain consisting of 6 questions (IIEF-6) was defined as minimal clinically important difference. A total of 24 patients with 52 stented arterial lesions underwent angiographic follow-up of the initially treated arterial side during secondary revascularization of the contralateral side (angiographic sub-study). OUTCOME: Clinical improvement of erections in 100 patients undergoing endovascular revascularization of erection-related arteries. RESULTS: No major adverse events occurred during endovascular revascularization or within 30 days thereafter. Technical success was achieved in all lesions and procedural success in all patients. At 1 year, 55 of 97 patients (56.7%) improved by at least 4 points in IIEF-6 score and thus achieved a clinically relevant improvement of erectile function.In the angiographic sub-study, arterial patency and binary restenosis were observed in 46 of 52 (88.5%) and in 8 of 52 (15.4%), respectively, after a mean follow-up of 9.6 ± 5.8 months. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: In patients with arteriogenic erectile dysfunction, endovascular therapy with a novel thin-strut sirolimus eluting stent is a safe and feasible treatment option. STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: This real-world arterial revascularization registry included patients with a multitude of risk factors for ED, thereby representing the heterogeneity in patients in the clinical practice, which is one of its strengths but also one of its weaknesses. Another strength was the focus being laid on analyzing outcomes of patients with arteriogenic ED using only a single endovascular device. Further studies are warranted to better define subgroups of patients with impaired clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Within the present all-comers registry, endovascular therapy of erectile dysfunction with the angiolite BTK stent was shown to be a safe and feasible treatment option resulting in clinical improvement rates comparable to earlier clinical trials although also showing that further research is warranted to define patient subgroups with particular benefits of endovascular therapy. Schönhofen J, Räber L, Knöchel J, et al. Endovascular Therapy for Arteriogenic Erectile Dysfunction With a Novel Sirolimus-Eluting Stent. J Sex Med 2021;18:315-326.

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AIM: To analyse the incidental findings during computed tomographic angiography (CTA) diagnostic work-up in patients with arteriogenic erectile dysfunction (ED). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of all patients with suspected arteriogenic ED were entered into a database. Risk factors and underlying comorbidities were also collected. Pathological CTA findings were extracted from the CT readings and entered into the database. Incidental findings on CTA were classified as those requiring immediate medical treatment, requiring deferred medical treatment or of no clinical importance. RESULTS: A total of 200 patients underwent CTA for suspected arteriogenic ED. Mean patient age was 59.6 ± 11.7 years. Of these, 181 patients (90.5%) had obstructions of erection-related arteries. In 168 patients (84.0%), CTA showed multiple incidental pathological findings. Eighty-five of 200 patients (42.5%) exhibited incidental findings requiring immediate further medical workup and/or treatment: coronary artery calcification was diagnosed in 75/200 (37.5%), aorto-iliac aneurysms in 8/200 (4%) of patients and incidentally detected embolism in 1/200 patient. Pancreatic and liver tumours were less frequent (incidence 1.5% and 1%, respectively). Incidental findings requiring deferred medical workup and/or treatment were detected in 175/200 patients (87.5%). The findings with the highest prevalence were liver steatosis followed by colon diverticulosis and prostate hyperplasia. Findings of little to no clinical importance were reported in 117 (58.5%) patients. These included uncomplicated renal cysts, spinal degeneration and renal vascular anomalies. Almost every second patient presenting with ED had an incidental finding which required immediate treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Incidental findings not directly related to ED were common among patients undergoing CTA scans for suspected arterial obstructions. Coronary artery calcification was the leading finding requiring further medical workup and/or treatment. Thus, the benefit of CTA investigations extends beyond the anatomic description of arterial obstructions of erection-related arteries.

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