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Erectile dysfunction is a common pathological finding that occurs in men over 40 years of age.

It has gradually become a very serious global health problem and reduced quality of life, due to the gradual aging of the male population. The causes are multiple, but the most common are the causes that cause poor blood circulation in the penis or causes that lead to the inability to accumulate or maintain blood in it.

Erectile dysfunction in numbers:

Worldwide, it is estimated that erectile dysfunction affected 152 million men in 1995, while this number is expected to increase to 322 million men in 2025. Much more interesting is that the occurrence of erectile dysfunction due to poor blood circulation may be an early sign of coronary artery disease, as 46% of these patients experience erectile problems.

This means that patients with diabetes, high cholesterol, chronic smokers or high blood pressure are automatically considered high-risk patients for erectile dysfunction, due to blockages in the vessels that supply blood to the penis.

Poor blood circulation to the penis due to blockages in the medium and large vessels can be successfully treated with the collaboration of urologists and specialists in endovascular surgery.

What are the classic rehabilitation methods?

After performing a triplex of the penile artery, the treating urologist / andrologist determines whether there is a suspicion of poor blood circulation.

These patients were given special drugs (phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors) to which a large part of the patients remain resistant or are not allowed to take them due to coronary disease.

The next step is to perform intrapenile injections with vasodilators by the patient himself.

In some patients, especially in patients who have problems with blood flow to the penis due to blockage in very small vessels, penile shock waves are performed in order to create new vessels.

The final solution is the placement of a penile prosthesis, which is considered the “gold standard” in the surgical treatment of erectile dysfunction.

What are the new endovascular treatment techniques?

The new method is based on the evaluation of the large and medium-sized vessels that supply the penis through the performance of CT angiography of the patient’s pelvic vessels, immediately upon the onset of erectile dysfunction or during the aforementioned treatments.

The artery that supplies blood to the penis is the internal iliac artery and its branch called the internal pudendal artery.

In the event that there is a narrowing or blockage of the vessels that reaches up to 2 millimeters, the vascular surgeon can open these vessels, minimally invasively, with special balloons that are coated with a drug to prevent future blockage.

The increase in blood flow to the penis leads to an improvement in erection, in combination with the parallel continuation of drug therapy or shock pulses, for 3 to 6 months.

What is the role of carbon dioxide in the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction?

In cases where the arteries that supply blood to the penis do not show blockages and despite the use of shock waves there is no improvement in erectile dysfunction, the existence of the so-called fibrosis of the corpus cavernosum is very likely.

Diagnostic angiography with carbon dioxide can confirm the existence of fibrosis and facilitate the treating urologists / andrologists in the fastest and most effective selection of the correct treatment (use of an endopenitel prosthesis).

Specialization and Organized Hospital Structures:

The procedures for treating the above diseases require specialization, modern hospital logistics, and excellent cooperation of the Interdisciplinary team.

Daily updates on scientific developments, combined with the continuous investments of the Athens Medical Group in biomedical equipment, allow us to provide the Group’s hospitals with the latest in modern technology so that we can offer the most personalized, safe and minimally invasive solution, no matter how complex it may be.