Prevention and managment possibilities of erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy

Abstract

Radical prostatectomy is the curative surgical management of organ confined prostate cancer. Erectile dysfunction may follow surgery as the most common complication decreasing the quality of life of the patient. Thanks to spreading PSA screening probabilty increases to detect prostate cancer in its early stage and so the expected number of surgery is increasing, too. Higher number of operation as well as surgery more frequently performed in younger age calls the attention to the importance of erectile dysfunction and its management. Nowadays the physiology of erectile dysfunction due to radical prostatectomy has been revealed, and as a consequence, the nerve sparing surgery for its prevention is already known. The paper presents the different kind of possible invasive and non-invasive treatments of erectile dysfunction, and surveys their history and effectiveness. The erectile function of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between 1998 and 2007 at the Department of Urology and Urooncological Centre was assessed by IIEF- and MMM questionnaire and letters with questions of habit of medicine taking. The results showe that 59% of patients who require sexual life are capable of it spontaneously or with medical management.