Therapeutic areas of Li-ESWT in sexual medicine other than erectile dysfunction

Low intensity extracorporal shock wave therapy (Li-ESWT) may induce tissue regeneration, neo-angiogenesis and improve endothelial function. This has shown promise in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). The aim of this narrative review was to describe potential therapeutic areas of Li-ESWT in sexual medicine other than ED. An extensive literature search and review of the most recent guidelines revealed that Li-ESWT has been used in the treatment of Peyronie’s disease (PD) and is being investigated as a method of improving stem cell therapy. In PD, Li-ESWT has been shown to decrease pain but no clinically relevant benefits regarding plaque size or penile curvature have been shown in randomized clinical trials. For stem cell optimization, only two preclinical studies have been conducted within the realm of sexual medicine. These show that application of Li-ESWT to the tissue after stem cell transplantation may increase the erectile response following cavernous nerve or diabetes damage. More research is needed to bring this concept from bench to bedside. In addition to this, Li-ESWT has shown promise in pelvic pain and it’s effects on testicles have been preliminarily investigated in preclinical studies.