By David Douglas
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) May 27 - In men with benign prostatic hyperplasia, photoselective vaporization of the prostate can lead to a significant decrease in erectile function, French researchers report.
Overall, the patients in their cohort maintained their sexual function after the procedure - but not if they had normal function beforehand. In those men, photoselective vaporization had a major adverse effect on erectile function.
"Erectile dysfunction may be a real issue after photoselective vaporization of the prostate," said lead author Dr. Franck Bruyere in e-mail to Reuters Health. "In our study we showed a significant impact of laser reduction of the prostate in men with preoperative normal International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) score."
