External vacuum devices: a clinical comparison with pharmacologic erections

Summary

The purpose of the present study was to compare the satisfaction rates obtained for vacuum constriction devices with those achieved using intracavernous pharmacologic injections in a group of patients afflicted with erectile dysfunction. The subjects were stratified into three groups: group 1 failed to achieve an adequate erection on pharmacologic injection, group 2 achieved satisfactory erection following pharmacologic injection, and group 3 was left untreated. All patients were given a vacuum constriction device. We assessed their satisfaction using a questionnaire. The data suggest high satisfaction rates in all three groups. Of particular interest was that over half of the patients who had successfully been treated with pharmacologic injections switched to the vacuum constriction device at the end of the study. The data indicate high levels of patient satisfaction with the vacuum constriction devices, even among subjects in whom prior alternative impotence therapy had been successful.