Peyronie's disease and low intensity shock wave therapy: Clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction rate in an open-label single arm prospective study in Australian men

Abstract

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy, safety and patient satisfaction outcomes following low intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (LiESWT) in men with Peyronie's disease (PD) using a standardised protocol. Materials and Methods In this open-label single arm prospective study, patients with PD were enrolled following informed consent. Patient demographics, change in penile curvature and plaque hardness, International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 score, and overall satisfaction score (on a 5-point scale) were recorded. Treatment template consists of 3000 shock waves to the Peyronie's plaque over 20 minutes, twice weekly for 6 weeks. Results The majority of patients have PD history longer than 6 months (mean, 12.8 months; range, 6-28 months). Two thirds of patients have received and failed oral medical therapy. There were improvements in penile curvature (more than 15 degrees in 33% of men), plaque hardness (60% of men) and penile pain (4 out of 6 men) following LiESWT. There was a moderate improvement in IIEF-5 score (>5 points reported in 20% of men). No complication was reported and the majority of patients were satisfied (rated 4 out of 5; 70% of men) and would recommend this therapy to others. Conclusions In a carefully selected group of men with PD, LiESWT appears to be safe, has moderate efficacy and is associated with high patient satisfaction rate in the short term.