Efficacy of LIPUS on Erectile Dysfunction Patients and the Effect of Six Concomitant Factors on it: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the therapeutic effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on erectile dysfunction (ED), follow up on its continued effects, and analyze the effects of age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking, diabetes, and hypertension on it.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with ED who initially received LIPUS treatment at our hospital between October 2020 and October 2021. The patients' ED was evaluated according to the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-EF) and Erection Hardness Score (EHS), and the included patients were statistically analyzed to uncover the treatment efficacy, continued effects, and factors influencing the therapeutic efficacy of LIPUS.

RESULTS

Among 56 patients with ED, the IIEF-EF and EHS scores before LIPUS treatment were 9.61 ± 6.41 and 1.24 ± 0.99 points, respectively. At 6.41 ± 4.14 months after LIPUS treatment, the IIEF-EF and EHS scores improved to 16.00 ± 7.88 and 2.29 ± 1.12 points, respectively, both showing significant improvement (p < 0.05). Of the included patients, 21 were followed for up to 12.57 ± 3.10 months after their initial treatment, with no observed reduction in the therapeutic effect of LIPUS (p > 0.05). Binary logistic analysis revealed that none of the factors of interest, including age, obesity/overweight, smoking, drinking, diabetes, and hypertension, had a significant impact on the therapeutic effect of LIPUS (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

LIPUS demonstrated a good therapeutic effect on ED, with no significant decrease in efficacy after about 12 months of follow-up and without variations attributable to age, obesity/overweight, smoking, drinking, diabetes, or hypertension.