Health Talk - Star Ledger of New Jersey features: Erectile Dysfunction - New Treatment with Low-Dose
Erectile Dysfunction (ED), defined as the inability to obtain or maintain an erection, effects approximately 30 million men in the United States. Until recently, all treatment modalities for ED have been based on a symptom, not a cause. Now using regenerative medicine, the major cause of ED, which is poor blood flow, can be improved.
Stuart D. Shoengold, MD, IF, FACS, urologist with the Urology Group of New Jersey, is the first to use low-dose shockwave therapy for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in New Jersey. He recently spoke with NJ Advance Media about the procedure.
Q: What are the causes of erectile dysfunction?
A: The primary cause of ED is poor blood flow to the penis. This is most common as men age, in diabetic, hypertensive patients and in men with vascular disease. Other common causes are neurological diseases, surgery, i.e. radical prostatectomy, radiation, phycological, hypogonadism (low-testosterone) and medications.
Q: What is shockwave therapy and how is it used to treat ED?
A: Low-intensive shockwave therapy (LISWT) consists of acoustic waves that generate energy that can be focused on the penis to treat ED. It causes microtrauma that triggers a chain of events that cause angiogenesis i.e. new blood vessel growth and release growth factors (VEGF).
Q: How many treatments are required and where can the procedure be done?
A: LISWT consists of six treatments, two sessions a week for three weeks. These painless treatments take about 15 minutes each and can be done in our Millburn office. This may be combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) usually injected after the fifth treatment.
Q: How effective is shockwave therapy for treatment of ED?
A: LISWT has been studied in Israel and Europe. Medical trials show improvement in between 60 percent and 70 percent of men. Clinical trials are pending in the United States for FDA approval. Our center also is using PRP (platelet-rich therapy) in combination with LISWT to potentially improve these results. PRP is a type of regenerative therapy causing release of new growth factors to improve erections.
Q: What are the benefits of shockwave therapy for ED?
A: The biggest problem with ED treatments is that they are used on an on-demand basis and do not work for a portion of patients. Most men do not like penile injections or to have surgical insertion of a penile prosthesis. The potential appeal of shockwave therapy is that unlike current ED treatments — which are symptomatic and used on an on-demand basis — shockwave therapy aims to provide sustained improvement of the erectile mechanism and cure ED. LISWT potentially allows a man to return to a more normal environment where he does not have to use the medication or get a better result from the medication.
For more information, visit njsexualmedicine.com or call (973) 218-9400 or (973) 218-9401.
Urology Group of New Jersey is located at 225 Millburn Ave. Suite 304, Millburn, N.J., 07041.
