Cardiac factors affecting the success of vardenafil in erectile dysfunction

Background/aim: To evaluate the predictability of vardenafil success in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) by using cardiological tests. Materials and methods: Patients diagnosed with ED who did not benefit from lifestyle changes (n = 68) were evaluated with an abridged 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). The pretreatment and posttreatment IIEF-5 scores were compared with pretreatment data obtained from cardiological examinations. Results: When pretreatment scores were compared with test parameters, mitral flow E/A ratio and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) Eʹ/ Aʹ, exercise test duration, exercise capacity in MET, and percentage of maximum heart rate were found to be statistically significant. Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation between mitral flow E/A ratio, TDI Eʹ/Aʹ, exercise test duration, exercise capacity in MET, and the difference in post- and pretreatment IIEF-5 scores. Conclusion: As a diastolic function indicator, TDI Eʹ/Aʹ positively correlates with pretreatment IIEF-5 scores and negatively correlates with the beneficial effect of vardenafil treatment. As a result, the cardiological status of the patient correlates with individual IIEF-5 scores, and it seems to be useful in predicting vardenafil success.