OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between varicocele and hypogonadism, or erectile dysfunction.
METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, CENTRAL, and other sources. We included cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. The primary outcome was the association between varicocele and hypogonadism, or erectile dysfunction, and the secondary outcome included semen analysis. We assessed the risk of bias with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We performed statistical analysis in Review Manager 5.3 and reported information about the Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval. We produced a forest plot for the primary outcome.
RESULTS: We included ten studies in qualitative analysis and six studies in quantitative analysis. Most of the cross-sectional studies showed a low risk of bias, not so for the two case-control studies, which represented a high risk of bias. Most of the reports described a correlation between having varicocele and presenting low testosterone levels: the meta-analysis showed that there is a significant association between varicocele and hypogonadism (OR 3.27 95% CI 1.23 to 8.68). Regarding varicocele and erectile, only one study showed a significant difference in erectile function in comparison to varicocele patients and men without varicocele.
CONCLUSIONS: There is an association between varicocele presence and hypogonadism, although more studies are needed. Besides, not much is reported about an association between varicocele and erectile dysfunction, but impairment can occur through hormone disturbances.

OBJECTIVE: Among the many treatments for erectile dysfunction, implantation of a penile prosthesis has been associated with high patient satisfaction rates. However, patients with coexistent Peyronie\'s disease (PD) and refractory erectile dysfunction and/or severe deformities may show different results. The aim of our study was to assess and to compare the level of satisfaction, with an inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP), in men with/without coexistent PD.
METHODS: A survey study based on a five-item satisfaction questionnaire was submitted to all those live patients implanted in the period 1992-2022 at our center (n=570) and their partners. Ninety-two percent of implants were inflatable devices. Surgeries were mainly performed by two surgeons. The main outcome measure used was the level of patient and partner satisfaction with sexual intercourse after IPP.
RESULTS: Of the 570 eligible patients, 479 (84%) completed the survey (393 Non-PD: GROUP 1; 70 non-complex PD-Group 2; 16 complex PD). Eighty-six per cent of patients in Group 1 reported satisfactory sexual intercourse (very or moderately satisfied). Non-complex PD implanted patients (Group 2) reported a global 81% satisfactory sexual intercourse (very or moderately satisfied) (p>0.05). However, when we evaluated the PD subgroup of patients with severe PD who require incision/excision/grafting at the time of implant (Group 3: n=20), only 61% reported satisfactory sexual intercourse (p<0.01) with predominance of moderately satisfied patients over very satisfied: 78% vs. 22%). Additionally, 84% (Group 1), 80% (Group 2) and 54% (Group 3) of partners reported satisfactory intercourses, respectively (p<0.01). Overall, 84% of Group 1 implants and 79% of Group 2 reported that they would undergo the procedure again if the IPP failed (p>0.05; ns). Only 50% of Group 3 patients would do it again. With regard to cosmetic aspects, 48% of the Group 3 implant reported penile shortness or soft glans as the main causes of their dissatisfaction. Only 2.4% of total PP patients expressed difficulty in manipulating the device.
CONCLUSIONS: The presence of PD alone may not impact PP patient and partner satisfaction, but patients with more severe baseline deformity who require incision/grafting may be less satisfied with outcomes including penile length and glans sensation.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare erection function (EF) after Excision and Primary Anastomosis Urethroplasty (EPAU) and Buccal Mucosal Graft Urethroplasty (BMGU) in bulbar urethral stricture.
METHODS: Patients who underwent urethroplasty were identified retrospectively. The criteria for inclusion in the study were determined as being over 18 years old and under 70 years old, being sexually active. Exclusion criteria are; preoperative severe erectile dysfunction, stricture outside the bulbar urethra, psychosocial incompatibility, urethral stricture related to pelvic fracture, follow-up time less than a year. As the primary endpoint, the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) was determined as a comparison of EF in the preoperative and third, sixth and twelfth months after surgery. The secondary endpoint was the evaluation of the effects of demographic data, stricture and treatment characteristics on EF.
RESULTS: Fifty patients were identified considering the inclusion/exclusion criteria. It was observed that there were 30 patients who underwent EPAU and 20 patients who underwent BMGU. At the third month after surgery, EF showed a statistically significant decrease in the EPAU group. In both patient groups, it was observed that the early negative effects after the operation in EF started to improve in the sixth month and returned to the baseline level by the first year.
CONCLUSIONS: EPAU and BMGU techniques have a similar effect on EF in the medium and long term. Both methods can be used safely and effectively in the appropriate patient group.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of erectile lower urinary tract symptoms in hypertensive patients, cardiovascular risk and the impact on quality of life.
METHODS: Setting: Health Center (Vilagarcia, Pontevedra).
METHODS: April 2015-June 2017.
METHODS: Hypertensive patient with informed consent.
METHODS: sociodemographic variables, toxic habits, comorbidity, blood pressure, cardiovascular risk, analytical and examination parameters. Questionaries: International Prostate Symptom Scale (IPSS), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15) and quality of life in arterial hypertension (MINICHAL).
METHODS: n=262 (± 6% accuracy, 95% confidence).
METHODS: Bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Informed consent and ethics committee approval were obtained (2024/237) RESULTS: The mean age was 65.84 (12.70), and mean hypertension duration of 13.25 (9.84) years. 76.7% reported lower tract urinary symptoms, 91.6% being mild. The bivariate analysis showed an association with the variables: age, educational level, profession, work activity, tobacco, benign prostatic hypertrophy, years of diagnosis, concomitant medication, Framingham-Wilson score, electrocardiogram, glycated hemoglobin, glomerular filtration (Crockroft-Gault), LDL-cholesterol, somatic manifestations (MINICHAL), erectile dysfunction. The multivariate analysis showed increased risk with:abdominal obesity, pathological electrocardiogram, high risk of Framingham-Wilson score, erectile dysfunction, use of hypouricemics agents and decreased with not smoking and use diuretics.
CONCLUSIONS: Three quarters of hypertensive men presented lower urinary tract symptoms, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease early according to the Framingham-Wilson score. Other predictive factors were: abdominal obesity, tobacco, pathological electrocardiogram, high Framingham-Wilson score, erectile dysfunction, use of hypouricemics agents.

Studies have reported that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may cause erectile dysfunction (ED), however, its role in the pathophysiology of ED has not yet been fully elucidated. We aimed to elucidate COVID-19\'s effects on cavernosal smooth muscle, which has a pretty important role in erection physiology, by corpus cavernosum electromyography (cc-EMG).
Twenty-nine male patients aged 20-50 years who applied to the urology outpatient clinic due to ED were included in the study. Nine patients that had COVID-19 and were treated as outpatients were classified as group 1, 10 patients who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 were classified as group 2, and 10 patients who did not have COVID-19 were classified as the control group (group 3). Patients underwent diagnostic evaluation including International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 form, penile color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS), cc-EMG, and fasting serum levels of reproductive hormones (07-11am).
According to penile CDUS and hormonal values results, there was no significant difference between the groups. According to cc-EMG results, amplitudes and relaxation capacities of the cavernosal smooth muscle of patients in group 3 were significantly higher than those in the other groups.
COVID-19 can cause ED not only by psychogenic and hormonal factors but also with cavernosal smooth muscle damage.
NCT04980508.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most prevalent urological diseases, but there is limited data about the quality of its information in social networks. The aim of our study was to assess the quality of ED information contained in YouTube videos.
Descriptive study of the first 50 Spanish-language videos, published on YouTube, evaluated by three urologists. We used two validated questionnaires: PEMAT (Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool) and DISCERN. Videos were classified according to DISCERN score into poor or moderate-good quality.
The median time duration was 2.42minutes (0.15-3.58), 94,197 views (2,313-3,027,890), 682.5 «likes» (0-54,020) and 39 «dislikes» (0-2843). The median of PEMAT score was 29% (9%-95.5%) in understandability and 29% (0-95.5%) in actionability. According to DISCERN score 27 videos (57.4%) had poor quality and 20 (42.6%) moderate-good quality. There were no significant differences between the two groups in time duration, views, «likes» or «dislikes». There were differences in PEMAT score in understandability and actionability. The 86.7% of the moderate-good quality videos were starred by health care provider (P=.001). Also, the 85.7% of videos that describes treatment had moderate-good quality (P=.001). The 84% of the non-medical videos had a poor quality (P=.001).
Most ED videos on YouTube have poor quality. The highest quality videos are those made by professionals, although they are not the most viewed. It would be important to develop measures to prevent the spread of misinformation among social network users.

ED and PE are the most common male sexual dysfunctions, although they remain underdiagnosed and undertreated.
To ascertain how a group of Spanish urologists currently address ED and PE.
Descriptive study based on a self-designed questionnaire about the clinical practice in ED and PE upon diagnosis, treatment and monitoring, patient-physician relationship and the role of the patient\'s partner.
The survey was completed by 188 experienced urologists. Most patients went to the urologist\'s office without a previous diagnosis (92% of the urologists found <10 PE-diagnosed patients in public settings). The diagnosis of ED and/or PE was mainly carried out by the current urologist and not by another professional, particularly in private centres as opposed to public centres (78.8% vs 57.0% for ED; 82.0% vs 62.6% for PE). Most urologists believed that these disorders are underdiagnosed and deemed them as general health issues. 38% of urologists acknowledged using validated questionnaires to diagnose ED. PE was considered a subjective problem rather than a true disease and the use of PRO-based diagnosis of PE was not generally accepted (14%). Treatment options of both disorders were chosen as expected. Referral to the andrologist is usually scheduled in moderate-to-severe PE or severe ED. The cohort seemed to be mostly neutral (50%-75% for ED and 40%-55% for PE) regarding patient reluctancy to talk about their sexual problem. Patients\' partners play an important role in helping men seeking treatment.
Urologists should show more proactivity during anamnesis and routine visits to improve management of ED and PD.

This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of Rezūm™ in erectile dysfunction (ED) patients with and without an inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP).
This was a retrospective review of ED patients who underwent Rezūm™ by a single surgeon over 12 months. Patient age, presence of IPP, number of benign prostatic hyperplasia medications, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), IPSS Quality of Life Index (QOL), uroflowmetry maximum flow rate (Qmax), and uroflowmetry average flow rate (Qavg) before and after Rezūm™ were obtained. Independent two-sample T-tests were used to compare preoperative and postoperative characteristics between patients with and without an IPP. Linear regression was performed to identify factors associated with postoperative Qmax or Qavg.
A total of 17 patients with ED who underwent Rezūm™ were identified, including 11 patients with an IPP. The median follow-up after Rezūm™ was 65 days. There were no significant differences in baseline demographics and clinical characteristics between patients with and without an IPP. Postoperative Qmax (10.9 mL/s vs 9.8 mL/s, p = 0.04) and Qavg (7.5 mL/s vs 6.0 mL/s, p = 0.03) were significantly higher in patients with an IPP compared to patients without an IPP. There were no factors associated with postoperative Qmax or Qavg on linear regression. Two patients without an IPP went into urinary retention, while no complications occurred in IPP patients.
Rezūm™ is a safe and effective procedure to perform in ED patients, particularly those with an IPP. IPP patients may experience greater increase in uroflowmetry rate compared to ED patients without an IPP.

Studies on sexuality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are scarce and have yielded conflicting results. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) and associated factors in patients with COPD.
Articles with data on ED prevalence in patients diagnosed with COPD through spirometry were searched for in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Virtual Health Library databases from the year of their creation until January 31, 2021. The prevalence of ED was assessed with a weighted mean of the studies. A meta-analysis was performed using the Peto fixed-effect model to evaluate the association of COPD with ED.
Fifteen studies were ultimately included. The weighted prevalence of ED was 74.6%. A meta-analysis with four studies and 519 individuals showed an association of COPD with ED (estimated weighted odds ratio 2.89, 95% CI 1.93-4.32, p<0.001), with a non-negligible degree of heterogeneity (I2 57%). In the systematic review, age, smoking, degree of obstruction, oxygen saturation, and previous health status were associated with a higher prevalence of ED.
ED is common in patients with COPD and its prevalence is higher than in the general population.

To examine the opinions, attitudes and perceptions of patients regarding the diagnosis and treatment protocols of erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) and their interaction with the urology specialists.
Observational, national and multicentric study based on a self-designed online questionnaire in which ED and PE patients described their perception of ED and PE at diagnosis and during treatment and monitoring, the patient-physician relationship and the role of the patient\'s partner in the course of the disease.
306 ED and 70 PE participants were recruited. After the occurrence of the first symptoms, the time elapsed until the patient decided to go to the doctor was 28.6 months for PE and 14.0 months for ED (p<0.001). ED patients saw physicians more frequently (especially those aged between 60 and 69 years: 60.7%, p<0.001) than PE patients (52.1% vs 36.8%, respectively; p<0.001) and discussed this problem with their partner more (34.0% vs 22.8%, p<0.001). These disorders were mainly diagnosed at the urologist\'s office (ED: 74.8% vs 42.5%; PE: 75.7% vs 34.3%; diagnosis vs detection). One third of all participants reported that the sexual problem was not the main reason for the visit. The time elapsed between the first consultation for related symptoms and therapy was 8.7 months (oral drugs) and 7.6 months (dapoxetine) for ED and PE, respectively. ED patients and their partners felt particularly better once treatment had started (p<0.001). PE patients presented the highest degree of sexual dissatisfaction (78%). 50% of the patients agreed with the statement that initiating a discussion about sexual concerns was regarded as taboo and most of them did not say that their partner had encouraged them to seek medical advice.
A concerted effort is called for to expand ED and PE patients\' proactivity in taking care of their own and their partner\'s sexual health. Current therapies would appear to have a benefit in couples\' sexual relationships.