Clinical Practice Guideline Recommendation on the Use of Low Intensity Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Shock Wave Therapy to Treat Erectile Dysfunction: The Asia-Pacific Society for Sexual Medicine Position Statement

Abstract

Published literature shows low intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (LIESWT) and low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) therapy to improve erectile function and penile hemodynamic by inducing neovascularisation and promoting tissue regeneration. Key opinion leaders across the Asia Pacific region attended the recent biennial meeting of the Asia Pacific Society for Sexual Medicine in Australia, and presented the current evidence on LIESWT and LIPUS for erectile dysfunction (ED). The clinical findings were internally discussed, and the quality of evidence was graded based on the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine recommendations. Existing literature supports the use of LIESWT and LIPUS in men with ED, with many clinical studies reported encouraging results with improved erectile function, good safety profile and short-term durability. However, controversial exists due to sampling heterogeneity, non-standardised treatment protocol and lack of large multiinstitutional studies. There is a need to better define which subgroup of ED population is best-suited, and specific treatment protocol to optimise shock wave energy delivery. More stringent and larger multi-institutional randomised placebo-controlled trials are warranted before clinical adoption of LIESWT and LIPUS as the new standard of care for men with ED.

Keywords: Clinical outcome; Erectile dysfunction; Low intensity pulsed ultrasound; Low intensity shock wave therapy; Safety; Shock wave machine.