Erectile Dysfunction: Monitoring Response to Treatment in Clinical Practice-Recommendations of an International Study Panel J. Mulhall, S.E. Althof, G.B. Brock, I. Goldstein, K.-P. Junemann, and M. Kirby

摘要

Erectile dysfunction research has made great strides over the past two decades. Evaluation tools that previously relied on defining arterial flow or circumferential rigidity have morphed into tools that explore patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction. With the advent of oral sildenafil, a nonin-vasive therapy, the idea that diagnostic approaches had to involve needles to test rigidity became almost obsolete. As is the case with many things old becoming new over time, researchers and clinicians began to recognize that many men were not completely satisfied and that existing indices and validated tools might not be telling the whole story. A quantifiable endpoint was sought to allow clinicians to know when treatment goals had been reached. Penile rigidity, the previous gold standard, was decided to be that defining feature.