Enhanced external counterpulsation in rehabilitation of erectile dysfunction: a narrative literature review

BACKGROUND: Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive treatment option widely applied in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). The aim of this study is to review the efficacy of EECP in patients suffering from ED. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Tripdatabase, Scopus, and Cochrane library databases were searched for articles with the following search terms: enhanced external counterpulsation and erectile dysfunction. No restrictions with respect to study setting, date of publication, and language were imposed. RESULTS: From an initial set of 208 records, 4 studies were selected after a final review. A total of 177 patients with a mean age of 59.98 years were included in these studies, with 20–35 hours per week of EECP treatment. Three studies used the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire and one applied a four-item questionnaire and a peak systolic flow measurement. All of these parameters were significantly improved after the EECP treatment. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reviewing the clinical effectiveness of EECP in patients with ED. According to the articles reviewed in this study, an improvement in erectile function after EECP treatment courses has been observed in patients with and without coronary artery disease without any significant adverse effects.