The effect of erectile dysfunction on the quality of life of men after radical prostatectomy

J. P. Meyer*, D. A. Gillatt, R. Lockyer, R. Macdonagh

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

72 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To report on the first use of a quality-of-life (QoL) measure specific for erectile dysfunction (ED), the 'ED effect on QoL' (ED-EQoL), to assess the effect of ED on QoL after radical prostatectomy (RP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified 89 patients who had undergone RP at one institution. Each was sent the ED-EQoL and a second questionnaire asking whether they had been counselled before RP about possible ED afterward. RESULTS: The response rate was 91% and the median time since RP 92 months; 76% of those who were potent before RP were impotent afterward. The overall results showed that the QoL of 72% of patients was moderately or severely affected. For each question, on average a third of the patients reported that their QoL was affected either 'quite a lot' or 'a great deal'. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that ED after RP has a profound effect on QoL; it is therefore important when assessing ED to use an ED-specific QoL questionnaire such as the ED-EQoL to measure the psychosocial effect of ED, in addition to using an instrument such as the International Index of Erectile Function to measure the functional aspects of ED.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)929-931
Number of pages3
JournalBJU international
Volume92
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2003
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Quality of life
  • Questionnaire
  • Radical prostatectomy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The effect of erectile dysfunction on the quality of life of men after radical prostatectomy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this