title: Effectiveness of Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors in the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction in Patients with Spinal Cord Trauma: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effectiveness of the Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) Inhibitors for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in patients with spinal trauma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing PDE5 inhibitors versus placebo were carried out for clinical trials conducted between 1980 and 2014 that evaluated male patients older than 18 years, diagnosed with spinal cord trauma and erectile dysfunction. We designed a search strategy for Medline, CENTRAL, EMBASE and other electronic sources. Two investigators independently and blindly screened the studies for inclusion. A random effect meta-analysis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six studies involving 963 patients were included. Male patients over 18 years with ED attributable or subsequent to traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) were included from these studies. In 4 of these studies, patients were randomized to the treatment group receiving sildenafil and the comparison group was placebo. Out of the remaining 2 trials, one compared tadalafil against the placebo and the other vardenafil versus placebo. The improvement on SCIs with PDE5 inhibitors was found to be large (standardized mean difference 0.71; 95% CI 0.39-1.03), with a high heterogeneity (I2 = 74.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PDE5 inhibitors are effective for the treatment of erectile dysfunction secondary to SCI.
authors: Department of Urology, Universidad del Valle, Academic Managing Director Hospital Universitario del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
authors: Herney Andrés
authors: HA
authors: García-Perdomo
authors: Fernando
authors: F
authors: Echeverría-García
authors: Aurelio
authors: A
authors: Tobías
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002243:Carbolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D000068581:Tadalafil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000069058:Vardenafil Dihydrochloride / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002243:Carbolines; D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors; D000069058:Vardenafil Dihydrochloride; D000068581:Tadalafil; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate