Does taking a PDE-5 inhibitor facilitate regaining potency?
NYU Langone Medical Center urologists pioneered the use of PDE-5 inhibitors such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (McCullough A, Barada J, Fawzy A, Guay A, Hatzichritsou D. Urol. 2002; 60:28-38). These agents were subsequently found to be effective for the treatment of erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy (Montorsi F, Nathan HP, McCullough A et al. J. Urol. 172:1036 (2004); Montorsi F, McCullough A. J. Sex. Med. 2:6458-667 (2005)). NYU Langone urologists were the first to demonstrate that PDE-5 inhibitors taken daily for 9 months immediately after radical prostatectomy facilitate the return of spontaneous erections at one year (Padma-Nathan H, McCullough AR et al. Int. J. Impot. Res. 20(5):479-86 (2008)). On the basis of this study, Smilow Center physicians incorporate the use of daily PDE-5 inhibitors in their penile rehabilitation program.
