| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 32
| Issue : 2 | Page : 77-82 |
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Early penile rehabilitation with a vacuum erectile device in patients undergoing robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy: A randomized trial
Supichamon Rujinithiwat, Manint Usawachintachit, Kamol Panumatrassamee, Apirak Santingamkun, Kavirach Tantiwongse
Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, The Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand
Correspondence Address:
Manint Usawachintachit
Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, The Thai Red Cross Society, Rama IV Road, Patumwan, Bangkok,
Thailand
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/UROS.UROS_118_20
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Purpose: This aim was to study the efficacy of a vacuum erectile device (VED) in rehabilitating the erectile function of patients undergoing nerve-sparing robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy. Materials and Methods: This prospective randomized study enrolled 35 prostate cancer patients from Thailand who had intact baseline erectile function and underwent nerve-sparing robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy. These patients were randomly assigned into either a study group which applied the VED for 10 min daily for 6 months or a control group which received no additional interventions. A 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) score, stretched penile length, and midshaft circumference were measured at 1, 3, and 7 months after surgery, respectively. Results: The mean patient age was 65.6 years, and the mean baseline IIEF-5 score was 22.91, which were comparable between the two groups. Three patients in the study group did not follow the VED protocol due to postoperative urinary incontinence. A per-protocol analysis revealed that the mean IIEF-5 score at 7 months was significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group (11.29 ± 7.47 vs. 6.61 ± 5.33, P = 0.047). The mean midshaft circumference was also higher in the study group (9.24 ± 1.43 cm vs. 7.91 ± 0.37 cm, P = 0.002). No statistically significant difference in the mean stretched penile length between the two groups was found. Conclusion: Early VED usage for penile rehabilitation following radical prostatectomy significantly improves IIEF-5 score and better preserves penile circumference but not penile length. A larger-scale multi-institutional study is required to validate these findings.
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