Study examines US trends in the use of penile prostheses to treat erectile dysfunction

US researchers have published the first large population-based study of nationwide trends in erectile dysfunction and its surgical management from 2001 to 2010. Using data from Medicare beneficiaries, the investigators found that while the prevalence of erectile dysfunction increased by 165%, the use of penile prostheses decreased by 50%, from 4.6% in 2001 to 2.3% in 2010. Prostheses have been increasingly used in sicker patients with significant comorbidities, however.

Age, ethnicity, and geography often influenced whether patients would undergo penile prosthetic placement.

"The research demonstrates the continued role for surgical treatment of erectile dysfunction that persists despite the increasing use of oral medications and that variation in this treatment exists even in the absence of clinical factors," said Dr. Daniel Lee, lead author of The Journal of Sexual Medicine study.