ArticleSexual medicine2021
Are Radial Pressure Waves Effective in Treating Erectile Dysfunction? A Systematic Review of Preclinical and Clinical Studies.
Article in Sexual medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Low-intensity shockwave therapy for erectile dysfunction: An abridged Cochrane review.BJU international · 2026Pooled it
- Low-intensity shockwave therapy for erectile dysfunction.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- rESWT promoted angiogenesis via Bach1/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Radial wave therapy does not improve early recovery of erectile function after nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy: a prospective trial.Translational andrology and urology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionRadial waves are used to treat erectile dysfunction; however, they are different than focal waves, and their mechanism of action or effect on improving this condition is not known.
aimTo evaluate the effect of radial waves at the cellular level and their effectiveness at the clinical level for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
methodsSystematic literature review. Electronic database searches and manual searches were performed to identify (i) clinical trials or cohort studies evaluating the effectiveness of radial waves in men with erectile dysfunction and (ii) preclinical trials in animal models or cell cultures in which the production of nitric oxide or endothelial growth factor was evaluated. Study quality was assessed, and data were extracted from each study. A narrative synthesis of the results was performed given the high heterogeneity between the selected studies. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Nitric oxide production, endothelial growth factor expression, and changes in the Erection Hardness Score (EHS) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) Questionnaire score.
resultsFour studies in animal models and 1 randomized clinical trial in men with erectile dysfunction and kidney transplantation were identified that met the selection criteria. Preclinical studies in animals suggest that radial waves increase cellular apoptosis in penile tissue, while vascular endothelial growth factor expression increases in brain tissue. In men with erectile dysfunction, no differences were found between radial wave therapy and placebo therapy in the mean IIEF score (15.6 ± 6.1 vs 16.6 ± 5.4 at 1 month after treatment), EHS (2.5 ± 0.85 vs 2.4 ± 0.7 at 1 month after treatment), or penile Doppler parameters.
conclusionsNo quality evidence was found to support the use of radial waves in humans for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. In animal models and at the cellular level, the results are contradictory. More research is needed. Sandoval-Salinas C, Saffon JP, Corredor HA, et al. Are Radial Pressure Waves Effective in Treating Erectile Dysfunction? A Systematic Review of Preclinical and Clinical Studies. Sex Med 2021;9:100393.
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