A short term follow up for intracavernosal injection of platelet rich plasma for the treatment of erectile dysfunction

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of intracavernosal platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). Materials and Methods: Between September 2018 and September 2020, thirty participants with ED were enrolled in this prospective single-arm study. All participants received three sessions of intracavernosal PRP injection. Oral phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) without a change in dosing was permitted during the treatment period. Efficacy was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), Erectile Hardness Score (EHS), Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP) 2 and 3, and Global Assessment Question, every 2 weeks after each treatment session. Any adverse events were recorded. Results: The mean age of participants was 54.93 years. Oral PDE5 inhibitors were prescribed to 76.7% of participants (n = 23), and 50% of participants (n = 15) received concurrent TRT. A significant improvement in erectile function was measured by an average of 4.556 points in IIEF-5 (P < 0.001) and 0.72 points in EHS (P < 0.001). In total, 4 (13.3%) and 15 (50%) participants reported “no” to “yes” in SEP2 and SEP3 questions after therapy, respectively. Overall, 82.8% of participants agreed that the study therapy improved erectile function. No significant adverse events were reported. Conclusion: This single-arm prospective study revealed that preliminary experience with penile PRP significantly improves erectile function without obvious adverse events.