ArticleBiomedicines2021
Efficacy of Penile Low-Intensity Shockwave Therapy and Determinants of Treatment Response in Taiwanese Patients with Erectile Dysfunction.
Article in Biomedicines, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- 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
- Article
- The role of TRPV4 in ischemic stroke.Molecular brain · 2026Review
- Article
- Low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy for erectile dysfunction: Myths and realities.Investigative and clinical urology · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundErectile dysfunction (ED) remains an emotional wrench to patients and a therapeutic challenge to urologists in andrology clinics worldwide. This is, in part, related to refraction to, or transient effect of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5i), coupled with patients' dissatisfaction with this treatment modality. Low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (Li-ESWT) is an evolving treatment option, with promising curative potential. Current international guidelines are inconclusive, bear weak recommendation strength, and lack ethnogeographic consensus.
objectivesThis study evaluated the safety, efficacy, and effect duration of Li-ESWT, as well as exploring disease-associated determinants of treatment success in Taiwanese males with ED.
methodsA cohort of 69 eligible cases treated with 12 sessions of Li-ESWT and followed up for at least 12 months after treatment, between January 2018 and December 2019 at our medical facility, was used. The present single-center, retrospective, non-randomized, single-arm study employed standardized erectile function evaluation indices, namely, the five-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) and Erection Hardness Score (EHS). Clinicopathological analyses of selected variables and comparative analyses of time-phased changes in the EF indices relative to baseline values were performed. Evaluation of treatment success was based on minimal clinically important difference (MCID), using a binomial logistic regression model.
resultsThe median age and duration of ED for our Taiwanese cohort were 55 years and 12 months, respectively, and an average of 31.3% presented with co-morbidities. The mean improvement in IIEF-5, EHS, and quality of life (QoL) domain scores relative to the baseline values was statistically very significant (
conclusionsLi-ESWT is a safe and efficacious therapeutic modality for Taiwanese patients with ED. Uncontrolled hyperlipidemia and age > 45 years are independent negative predictors of treatment success for this cohort.
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