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| |  Combination Treatment May Help Patients With Peyronie's Disease: Presented at ESSM By Jill Stein LYON, France -- November 20, 2009 -- The use of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) with a vacuum erection device is showing potential in patients with Peyronie’s disease, according to the results of a pilot study presented here November 18 at the 12th Congress of the European Society of Sexual Medicine (ESSM). Shawket Alkhayal, MD, The Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, United Kingdom, presented results in 20 men who underwent either ESWT only or combination therapy. “Various nonsurgical treatments for Peyronie’s disease have been tried worldwide with disappointing results,” Dr. Alkhayal said. “Of these treatments, ESWT is still being used in some centres to treat Peyronie’s disease, however its efficacy is debatable. Penile traction and stretching devices have be recently been tried at some centres but with variable results.” The present trial is the first to test a combination of the 2 modalities. Dr. Alkhayal said that ESWT causes disruption and softening of the penile plaque while the vacuum device stretches the plaque. All participants had stable Peyronie’s disease and a penile curvature of less than 70 degrees. According to the study protocol, patients who demonstrated subjective improvement after 3 ESWT sessions underwent 3 additional ESWT sessions. All patients were also prescribed a special vacuum erection device to be used at least twice weekly throughout the course of their ESWT treatment. Erectile function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 questionnaire. Overall patient satisfaction with treatment was also evaluated. Eleven of 20 patients used the prescribed pump along with their ESWT treatment while 9 patients did not use the pump. At a maximum follow-up of 3 months, 4 patients in the combination therapy group reported moderate improvement in their penile curvature while 5 patients reported minimal improvement and 2 patients reported no change. About three-quarters of patients undergoing combination treatment achieved successful penetration while more than half (63%) said that treatment increased their satisfaction with intercourse. More than 80% of patients who used the pump observed some improvement in their penile curvature. Five of the 9 patients who underwent ESWT without the pump reported no improvement in their penile curvature while 2 patients reported minimal improvement, 1 cited moderate improvement, and 1 said he had considerable improvement. The ESWT-only group had no or only very slight improvement with their ability to achieve successful penetration and their satisfaction with intercourse. Improvement in pain scores was seen in both groups. ESWT is known to relieve pain in men with Peyronie’s disease, said Dr. Alkhayal. “Although the number of patients was limited, this pioneer [sic] pilot study of the combined use of ESWT and a vacuum pump clear demonstrated a beneficial effect on Peyronie’s disease symptoms,” he added. [Presentation Title: A Single-Center Experience of a Non-invasive Combination Treatment for Patients With Peyronie’s Disease. Abstract Number PO-12-044]
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