How long does shockwave therapy treat erectile dysfunction?

This study aimed to assess how long low-intensity shockwave therapy (LIST) was effective in treating erectile dysfunction. The study found that LIST was only effective in half of the treated patients after 2 years.

Erectile dysfunction (ED – difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection) is a common problem among men. This can be caused by poor blood flow to the penis. Low-intensity shockwave therapy (LIST) involves delivering a small amount of electricity to the penis in order to improve blood flow and erections. The long-term effectiveness of LIST is still under investigation.

156 patients who underwent LIST were included in this study. 99 (63.5%) were successful at 1 month. However, only 53 (53.5%) still saw improvement from LIST after 2 years. Only 40.8% of patients with severe ED who saw a benefit at 1 month maintained that benefit after 2 years.

All patients with severe ED and diabetes lost the effect of LIST during the 2-year follow-up. Patients with milder forms of ED without diabetes had a 76% chance of maintaining benefit from LIST after 2 years.

The study concluded that low intensity shockwave treatment for erectile dysfunction was effective in the short term, but remained effective only in about half of the patients after 2 years follow-up.

The study notes that there is limited data on medium-term follow up and some issues with data collection.