As we've noted here before, Viagra doesn't work for everyone who suffers from erectile dysfunction. In fact, some ED has proven downright drug resistant - some men who have take Viagra don't get the desired results. A team of doctors has devised a treatment method that may help with these tough cases. The procedure involves inserting stents - small mesh tubes - into pelvic arteries to keep them open and increase blood flow. Although Viagra's action dilates blood vessels, if the vessels themselves are blocked enough, circulation will still be compromised and the blood won't get to where it needs to go. Implanting stents had a positive effect for 20 out of 30 patients who had the procedure, which is an impressive success rate.
If you're heard of stents being used before, it's most likely been in relation to heart surgery, since stenting is most commonly used to open blocked blood vessels around the heart. The medical company, Medtronic, that is sponsoring the studies, won't comment on the design of the pelvic stents as compared to the heart stents they make.
Doctors involved in the study are quick to point out that this is very preliminary and experimental research, and the stenting procedure is not intended to be a substitute for Viagra or other ED drugs. "We see this as an adjunct to current therapy," said research head Dr. Jason Rogers. "We can't recommend that doctors start doing this."
It doesn't sound like this is an operation that will make Viagra obsolete, especially since there are various causes of ED. But for some people, it might get things moving down there enough for the drugs to do their job.
