Peyronie's disease and low intensity shock wave therapy: Clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction rate in an open-label single arm prospective study in Australian men

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and patient satisfaction outcomes following low intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (LiESWT) in men with Peyronie's disease (PD) using a standardised protocol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this open-label single arm prospective study, patients with PD were enrolled following informed consent. Patient demographics, change in penile curvature and plaque hardness, International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 score, and overall satisfaction score (on a 5-point scale) were recorded. Treatment template consists of 3000 shock waves to the Peyronie's plaque over 20 minutes, twice weekly for 6 weeks. RESULTS: The majority of patients have PD history longer than 6 months (mean, 12.8 months; range, 6-28 months). Two thirds of patients have received and failed oral medical therapy. There were improvements in penile curvature (more than 15 degrees in 33% of men), plaque hardness (60% of men) and penile pain (4 out of 6 men) following LiESWT. There was a moderate improvement in IIEF-5 score (>5 points reported in 20% of men). No complication was reported and the majority of patients were satisfied (rated 4 out of 5; 70% of men) and would recommend this therapy to others. CONCLUSIONS: In a carefully selected group of men with PD, LiESWT appears to be safe, has moderate efficacy and is associated with high patient satisfaction rate in the short term.