Acceptance, efficacy and preference of Sildenafil in patients on long term auto-intracavernosal therapy: a study with follow-up at one year

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the acceptance, long term efficacy and preference of Sildenafil in impotent patients previously on auto-intracavernosal therapy.

Material and methods: The patients were the 107 men (mean age 58.4 y) on auto-intracavernosal therapy (auto-IC) for more than 6 months (mean duration 32.7 months >12 months in 100) who were consecutively seen within 6 months of the launch of Sildenafil in France. If there was no contra-indications to Sildenafil they were proposed a trial of Sildenafil at home. Following this trial they were given the possibility to change their therapy and were followed for 1 y at 3 months intervals.

Results: Three patients had contra-indications to Sildenafil. Of the remaining 104, 45 (43%) refused the trial, mainly because they were afraid of possible cardiac risks (n=21, including 51% of the psychogenic and mixed patients compared to 8% of the predominantly organic ones). Among the 59 who tried it, Sildenafil gave good results in 46 (78%), including 100% of the predominantly psychogenic and 61.5% of the predominantly organic ones) with minimum effective doses of 25 mg in 7, 50 mg in 18 and 100 mg in 21. It failed in 9 (15%) and gave average results in 4 (penetration with a non fully satisfying erection). There was a clear relationship between the sensitivity to Sildenafil and that to Alprostadil, the vasoactive agent predominantly used for the auto-ICIs. Every 46 patients with good result of Sildenafil elected to continue with this drug, including 3 who used both Sildenafil and auto-ICIs in alternance. Every 4 patients with average results elected to continue with auto-ICI including 1 who also used Sildenafil in alternance. Five of the 50 patients with good or average results were lost to follow-up within 6 months. At the 1 y follow-up visit, 43 of the 45 others were still using Sildenafil, in alternance with auto-ICI in 1. No one reported a decrease in efficacy with time. The 2 patients with average results still in the study were on auto-ICIs.

Conclusion: Sildenafil is highly effective in the impotent men previously treated with auto-ICI and its efficacy is maintained at least for 1 y. When tried and effective it is preferred by most men but almost half of our patients refused trying it.