title: Treatment of erectile dysfunction with sildenafil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the efficacy of sildenafil for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in a clinical practice setting; to evaluate the correlation between patient and partner perceptions of treatment outcomes; and to assess the relation between the severity of ED and response to treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among the first 100 men to receive sildenafil in a urology practice setting, 74 (mean + SD age 64+/-11 years) completed a validated sexual function questionnaire (International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF]) before and after a 4 to 6-week treatment period. A modified version of the same questionnaire was independently completed by partners. ED was categorized into a severity class of I to IV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sildenafil treatment improved erections by 71% to 95%, according to responses in key IIEF questions 3 and 4. Overall, 57 (77%) of 74 patients desired to continue treatment after the test period. Patient score on the IIEF was correlated with partner score on the modified questionnaire before and after treatment (r = 0.67 to 0.81, P <0.01). IIEF scores were reflected in a simple severity classification system. Men with the best preservation of erections (severity class I) exhibited the best responses to sildenafil, whereas men with no erections (severity class IV) were much less likely to respond to the drug and desire continuation of treatment (P <0.01). Patients with a radical prostatectomy were relatively refractory to sildenafil, except for 2 of 5 who had undergone a nerve-sparing operation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In clinical practice, sildenafil is an effective treatment of ED, according to partner-validated questionnaire responses; and the results of treatment are predictable with an ED severity classification system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California Los Angeles, School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duda
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Dorey
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Macairan
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011687:Purines; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D013450:Sulfones
chemical_list: D010879:Piperazines; D011687:Purines; D013450:Sulfones; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate