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De Luca R, Bonanno M, Manuli A, Calabrò RS. Cutting the First Turf to Heal Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction: A Male Retrospective Cohort Study. MEDICINES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:medicines9090045. [PMID: 36135826 PMCID: PMC9503765 DOI: 10.3390/medicines9090045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) is a set of heterogeneous sexual problems, which may arise during the administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and persist after their discontinuation. PSSD is a rare clinical entity, and it is commonly associated with non-sexual concerns, including emotional and cognitive problems and poor quality of life. To date, however, no effective treatment is available. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the potential efficacy of the different treatments used in clinical practice in improving male PSSD. Of the 30 patients referred to our neurobehavioral outpatient clinic from January 2020 to December 2021, 13 Caucasian male patients (mean age 29.53 ± 4.57 years), previously treated with SSRIs, were included in the study. Patients with major depressive disorder and/or psychotic symptoms were excluded a priori to avoid overlapping symptomatology, and potentially reduce the misdiagnosis rate. To treat PSSD, we decided to use drugs positively affecting the brain dopamine/serotonin ratio, such as bupropion and vortioxetine, as well as other compounds. This latter drug is known not to cause or reverse iatrogenic SD. Most patients, after treatment with vortioxetine and/or nutraceuticals, reported a significant improvement in all International Index of Erectile Function-(IIEF-5) domains (p < 0.05) from baseline (T0) to 12-month follow-up (T1). Moreover, the only patient treated with pelvic muscle vibration reached very positive results. Although our data come from a retrospective open-label study with a small sample size, drugs positively modulating the central nervous system serotonin/dopamine ratio, such as vortioxetine, could be used to potentially improve PSSD. Large-sample prospective cohort studies and randomized clinical trials are needed to investigate the real prevalence of this clinical entity and confirm such a promising approach to a potentially debilitating illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosaria De Luca
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino Pulejo”, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Mirjam Bonanno
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino Pulejo”, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Alfredo Manuli
- UOC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, AOU Policlinico G Martino, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Rocco Salvatore Calabrò
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino Pulejo”, 98166 Messina, Italy
- Correspondence: mailto:
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When Two Is Better Than One: A Pilot Study on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Plus Muscle Vibration in Treating Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12030396. [PMID: 35326352 PMCID: PMC8946237 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12030396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) affects about 4–16% of adult women, and about one-third of them require medical assistance due to severe symptoms. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the supplementary motor area (SMA) has been shown to manage pain in refractory CPPS. Focal muscle vibration (FMV) has also been reported to relieve pelvic pain. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility and effect of rTMS coupled with FMV to reduce pain in seven adult women with refractory CPPS. This pilot, open-labeled, prospective trial examined treatment by 5 Hz rTMS over SMA and 150 Hz FMV over the perineum, suprapubic, and sacrococcygeal areas, with one daily session for five consecutive days for three weeks. We assessed tolerance and subjective pain changes (as per visual analog scale, VAS) until one month post-treatment, with a primary endpoint at day 7. No patients experienced serious adverse effects or a significant increase in pain. Six out of seven patients experienced a VAS improvement of at least 10% at T7; three of these individuals experienced a VAS improvement of more than 30%. Overall, we found a significant VAS reduction of 15 points (95% CI 8.4–21.6) at T7 (t = 6.3, p = 0.001; ES = 2.3 (1.1–3.9)). Three of the women who demonstrated a significant VAS reduction at T7 retained such VAS improvement at T30. VAS decreased by six points (95% CI 1.3–10.7) at T30 (t = 3.1, p = 0.02; ES = 1.5 (0.2–2.6)). This coupled approach seems promising for pain management in adult women with refractory CPPS and paves the way for future randomized controlled trials.
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What is the clinical meaning of a negative bulbocavernosus reflex in spinal cord injury patients? Spinal Cord Ser Cases 2022; 8:24. [PMID: 35181651 PMCID: PMC8857246 DOI: 10.1038/s41394-022-00495-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN This is a retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE To highlight some issues about the clinical meaning of a negative bulbocavernosus reflex (BCR) in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. SETTINGS Research group University Antwerp Belgium. METHODS The study included 170 patients in whom the BCR was examined at a mean of 7 years post SCI. Changes over time were explored in a subset of patients. RESULTS BCR was negative in 45%. There was no influence of age and gender, nor could a relation be found with the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale score. The anal sphincter reflex (ASR) was positive in 13% of patients with negative BCR. With a mean interval of 45 weeks, BCR changed in 32% of a subset of 44 patients (14 became positive, 3 negative), while the neurological condition did not change and no treatments had been given that could influence the outcome. The data show that a negative BCR may not only be due to a disrupted reflex nervous pathway (which in some patients is different from that of ASR), but may also be caused by a difficulty to provoke the reflex. CONCLUSION A negative BCR test indicates interruption of the reflex neurologic pathways, but can also depend on the ease to elicit the reflex. By also doing ASR, this dilemma can be partly solved.
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Colonnello E, Limoncin E, Ciocca G, Sansone A, Mollaioli D, Balercia G, Porst H, Zhang H, Yu X, Zhang Y, Jannini EA. The Lost Penis Syndrome: A New Clinical Entity in Sexual Medicine. Sex Med Rev 2021; 10:113-129. [PMID: 34620562 DOI: 10.1016/j.sxmr.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The "lost penis syndrome" (LPS) is a term often used in non-clinical settings to describe the subjective perception of the loss of cutaneous and proprioceptive feelings of the male organ during vaginal penetration. Although deserving clinical attention, this syndrome did not receive any consideration in the medical literature. Notwithstanding, it represents a relatively unexceptional condition among patients in sexual medicine clinics, and it is often reported together with other sexual dysfunctions, especially delayed ejaculation, anejaculation, male anorgasmia and inability to maintain a full erection. OBJECTIVES To draft a new conceptual characterization of the LPS, defined as a lack of penile somesthetic sensations during sexual penetration due to various causes and leading to several sexual consequences in both partners. METHODS Based on an extensive literature review and physiological assumptions, the mechanisms contributing to friction during penovaginal intercourse, and their correlation to LPS, have been explored, as well as other nonanatomical factors possibly contributing to the loss of penile sensations. RESULTS Efficient penile erection and sensitivity, optimal vaginal lubrication and trophism contribute to penovaginal friction. Whenever one of these processes does not occur, loss of penile sensation defined as LPS can occur. Sociocultural, psychopathological and age-related (ie, couplepause) factors are also implicated in the etiology. Four types of LPS emerged from the literature review: anatomical and/or functional, behavioral, psychopathological and iatrogenic. According to the subtype, a wide variety of treatments can be employed, including PDE5i, testosterone replacement therapy and vaginal cosmetic surgery, as well as targeted therapy for concomitant sexual comorbidity. CONCLUSION We held up the mirror on LPS as a clinically existing multifactorial entity and provided medical features and hypotheses contributing to or causing the occurrence of LPS. In the light of a sociocultural and scientific perspective, we proposed a description and categorization of this syndrome hypothesizing its usefulness in daily clinical practice. Colonnello E, Limoncin E, Ciocca G, et al. The Lost Penis Syndrome: A New Clinical Entity in Sexual Medicine. Sex Med Rev 2021;XX:XXX-XXX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Colonnello
- Chair of Endocrinology & Medical Sexology (ENDOSEX), Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Erika Limoncin
- Chair of Endocrinology & Medical Sexology (ENDOSEX), Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Division of Endocrinology, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Umberto I Hospital, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Giacomo Ciocca
- Chair of Endocrinology & Medical Sexology (ENDOSEX), Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Sansone
- Chair of Endocrinology & Medical Sexology (ENDOSEX), Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Mollaioli
- Chair of Endocrinology & Medical Sexology (ENDOSEX), Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Balercia
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Umberto I Hospital, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Hartmut Porst
- European Institute for Sexual Health (EISH), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Infertility and Sexual Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PRC
| | - Xi Yu
- Department of Infertility and Sexual Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PRC
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Infertility and Sexual Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PRC
| | - Emmanuele A Jannini
- Chair of Endocrinology & Medical Sexology (ENDOSEX), Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
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Abstract
Genital sensation (GS) is an essential component of male sexual function. Genital sensory disturbance (GSD) caused by spinal cord injury (SCI) has a severe impact on the patients' sexual function but has garnered little research focus. Under normal conditions, GS encompasses the erection, ejaculation, sexual arousal, and orgasm courses associated with physiological and psychological responses in male sexual activity. However, in SCI patients, the deficiency of GS makes the tactile stimulation of the penis unable to cause sexual arousal, disturbs the normal processes of erection and ejaculation, and decreases sexual desire and satisfaction. To provide an overview of the contemporary conception and management of male GS after SCI, we review the innervation and sexual function of male GS in this article, discuss the effects of GSD following SCI, and summarize the current diagnosis and treatment of GSD in male SCI patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhang
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Bing Li
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
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