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Carella MC, Forleo C, Stanca A, Carulli E, Basile P, Carbonara U, Amati F, Mushtaq S, Baggiano A, Pontone G, Ciccone MM, Guaricci AI. Heart Failure and Erectile Dysfunction: a Review of the Current Evidence and Clinical Implications. Curr Heart Fail Rep 2023; 20:530-541. [PMID: 37962749 PMCID: PMC10746762 DOI: 10.1007/s11897-023-00632-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Heart failure (HF) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are two common conditions that affect millions of men worldwide and impair their quality of life. ED is a frequent complication of HF, as well as a possible predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality. ED deserves more attention from clinicians and researchers. RECENT FINDINGS The pathophysiology of ED in HF involves multiple factors, such as endothelial dysfunction, reduced cardiac output, neurohormonal activation, autonomic imbalance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and drug side effects. The diagnosis of ED in HF patients should be based on validated questionnaires or objective tests, as part of the routine cardiovascular risk assessment. The therapeutic management of ED in HF patients should be individualized and multidisciplinary, considering the patient's preferences, expectations, comorbidities, and potential drug interactions. The first-line pharmacological treatment for ED in HF patients with mild to moderate symptoms (NYHA class I-II) is phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is), which improve both sexual function and cardiopulmonary parameters. PDE5Is are contraindicated in patients who use nitrates or nitric oxide donors for angina relief, and these patients should be advised to avoid sexual activity or to use alternative treatments for ED. Non-pharmacological treatments for ED, such as psychotherapy or couples therapy, should also be considered if there are significant psychosocial factors affecting the patient's sexual function or relationship. This review aims to summarize the most recent evidence regarding the prevalence of ED, the pathophysiology of this condition with an exhaustive analysis of factors involved in ED development in HF patients, a thorough discussion on diagnosis and management of ED in HF patients, providing practical recommendations for clinicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cristina Carella
- Cardiovascular Disease Section, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Cinzia Forleo
- Cardiovascular Disease Section, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Stanca
- Cardiovascular Disease Section, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Eugenio Carulli
- Cardiology Unit, Madonna Delle Grazie Hospital, Matera, Italy
| | - Paolo Basile
- Cardiovascular Disease Section, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Umberto Carbonara
- Andrology and Kidney Transplantation Unit, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation-Urology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Fabio Amati
- Department of Basic Medicine Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Saima Mushtaq
- Perioperative Cardiology and Cardiovascular Imaging Department, Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Baggiano
- Perioperative Cardiology and Cardiovascular Imaging Department, Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianluca Pontone
- Perioperative Cardiology and Cardiovascular Imaging Department, Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Matteo Ciccone
- Cardiovascular Disease Section, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Andrea Igoren Guaricci
- Cardiovascular Disease Section, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.
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Zucchi A, Pezzoni F, Pastore AL, Salhi YA, Dehò F, Bini V, Carbone A, Bartoletti R, Scroppo FI. Prospective cross-sectional evaluation of penile helicine circulation by power doppler during dynamic ultrasound in veno-occlusive erectile dysfunction. Urology 2022; 169:110-114. [PMID: 35988732 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2022.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the usefulness of Power Doppler to improve the diagnostic work up of veno-occlusive erectile dysfunction patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients affected by erectile dysfunction, mean IIEF 5 = 13.5 (12-17) for at least 6 months, were enrolled in a prospective cross-sectional study. All patients underwent Dynamic Power Doppler after intracavernous injection of vasoactive drugs (PGE1 20 mcg and Papaverine 6 mg). Poor responders' patients subsequently underwent to cavernosometry to get a full assessment of the vascular framework. RESULTS 202 patients (mean age 46 y.o.), were included in the study. 96 subjects (47.5%) who did not adequately respond to the intracavernous injection -test, subsequently underwent to cavernosometry. In 42/96 patients (43.7%) cavernosometry was positive for veno-occlusive dysfunction. In a total of 160 patients who did not have veno-occlusive dysfunction (54 with negative cavernosometry + 106 intracavernous injection-test responders), the Power Doppler was normal in 126 (78.8%) and pathological in 34 (21.3%) in terms of steric conformation of "low flow" vessels corresponding to the Cavernosal Terminal Unit. The diagnostic sensitivity of Power Doppler towards veno-occlusive dysfunction was found to be 52.4% (Positive Predictive Value: 39.3%), the specificity was 78.8% (Negative Predictive Value: 86.3%) and the total diagnostic accuracy was equal to 73.3%. CONCLUSIONS Collected data evidenced that patients who reported altered morphological features of the Cavernosal Terminal Unit had an approximately 4-fold greater risk of having veno-occlusive dysfunction compared to patients who had normal Power Doppler features (OR = 4.076; 95% CI: 1.996-8.327).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Zucchi
- Department of Translationals Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Fabio Pezzoni
- Department of Urology, Centro Medico Unisalus, Milano Italy
| | - Antonio L Pastore
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Urology Unit, Latina Italy.
| | - Yazan Al Salhi
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Urology Unit, Latina Italy
| | - Federico Dehò
- Department of Urology and Andrology, Ospedale di Circolo and Macchi Foundation, Varese Italy
| | - Vittorio Bini
- Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Antonio Carbone
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Urology Unit, Latina Italy
| | - Riccardo Bartoletti
- Department of Translationals Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Fabrizio I Scroppo
- Department of Urology and Andrology, Ospedale di Circolo and Macchi Foundation, Varese Italy
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Ravikanth R. Diagnostic categorization of erectile dysfunction using duplex color doppler ultrasonography and significance of phentolamine redosing in abolishing false diagnosis of venous leak impotence: A single center experience. Indian J Radiol Imaging 2020; 30:344-353. [PMID: 33273769 PMCID: PMC7694736 DOI: 10.4103/ijri.ijri_419_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an inability to achieve and maintain erectile rigidity sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. It is either organic or psychogenic in origin. This study was aimed at establishing vasculogenic causes among patients being evaluated for ED using Penile Doppler Ultrasound. Methods: Fifty-two consecutive patients with the clinical diagnosis of ED were evaluated with color Doppler ultrasound scan using a 7.5 MHz high-frequency linear transducer between July 2016 and June 2019. The examination was commenced 3 min after an intracavernosal injection with 10-20 μg of PGE1 and continued for 30 min. The measurements were obtained alternately from both deep penile arteries. The variables analyzed were the peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV) and resistive index (RI), calculated as (PSV-EDV)/PSV. Erection Hardness was evaluated subjectively using the EH Score (EHS), a 5-point response score denoting how the patient would rate his erection. ED was subjectively assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire. In patients with a diagnosis of vasculogenic ED, intracavernosal PGE1 injection was started with a 5 μg dose and then increased in 5 μg increments until the final dose of 20 μg was reached. Results: PSV of cavernosal arteries (CA) varied between 19.2 and 106.2 cm/s (mean: 43.8 ± 18.2) among the entire patients and between 19.7 and 80.2 cm/s (mean: 42.6 ± 11.3) among patients with arteriogenic ED. Arteriogenic ED was found in 8 patients (15.3%), while venogenic ED was observed in 12 patients, which constituted 23% of the entire study population and mixed arteriogenic-venogenic ED was found in 6 patients (11.5%) of the study population. DICC performed on patients diagnosed with venogenic ED on color Doppler ultrasonography revealed venous leakage and no statistically significant differences between results of DICC and color Doppler ultrasonography were found in EDV, RI, and PI measurements (P< 0.005). Among patients with venogenic ED and mixed arteriogenic-venogenic ED,2 patients had a normal erectile response and the remaining 16 received 2 mg phentolamine. A significant increase in PSV between baseline and 20 mg PGE1 (P < 0.001) was observed in all cases. Following phentolamine, there was a significant increase in grade of erection (P = 0.0001) and a significant reduction in the EDV (P = 0.0001). A reduction of the EDV to below 0.0 cm/s was observed in 12 patients. In patients with arteriogenic erectile dysfunction, mean (±standard deviation) duration of erection for consecutive doses of PGE15 μg, 10 μg, 15 μg, and 20 μg were 42.2±18.4, 55.4±24.1, 66.1 ± 31.1, and 83.3±36.7 minutes, respectively, with significant increase for each dose. In patients with veno-occlusive dysfunction, mean durations of erection significantly increased from 9.1±8.0 minutes at 10 μg to 19.2±9.8 minutes at 20 μg. Conclusion: In the current study, 50% of patients had vasculogenic ED and “false-positive’’ diagnosis of venous leakage was unmasked by phentolamine re-dosing. It is therefore imperative that patients with ED benefit from duplex color Doppler ultrasonography which is safe, cheap and non-ionizing diagnostic modality before initiating therapy as ED treatment is cause specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reddy Ravikanth
- Department of Radiology, Holy Family Hospital, Thodupuzha, Kerala, India
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Ma M, Yu B, Qin F, Yuan J. Current approaches to the diagnosis of vascular erectile dysfunction. Transl Androl Urol 2020; 9:709-721. [PMID: 32420178 PMCID: PMC7215019 DOI: 10.21037/tau.2020.03.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular erectile dysfunction (ED) is closely related to cardiovascular events, and early diagnosis of vascular ED may be helpful to predict the occurrence of cardiovascular events and improve prognosis. At present, there are many approaches to diagnose ED, but each method has its advantages and limitations. This study retrospectively reviewed all available literature focusing on the diagnosis of vascular ED through a systematic PubMed and EMBASE search. According to the different application scenarios, the main methods for the diagnosis of vascular ED are divided into four categories. Intra-cavernous injection of vasoactive drugs is the earliest method used in the diagnosis of vascular ED and is a basic test. For the diagnosis of arterial ED, color duplex Doppler ultrasound, selective penile angiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography are more commonly used. While for the diagnosis of venous ED, shear wave elastography, dynamic infusion cavernosometry and cavernosography are more accurate. Endo-peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) has also been used to detect vascular endothelial function. Although various existing examinations are widely used for the evaluation of vascular ED, they still have some shortcomings, such as invasiveness, contingency, high false positive (negative) rate. New methods of long-term dynamic detection are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Ma
- Andrology Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.,Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Botao Yu
- Andrology Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.,Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Feng Qin
- Andrology Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jiuhong Yuan
- Andrology Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.,Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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