Evaluation of the alleviative action of neurotropin for penile pain associated with intracavernous injection of prostaglandin E1 assessed using the visual analogue scale

Abstract

We examined whether penile pain associated with intracavernous injection of PGE1 could be alleviated with a intracavernous injection of neurotropin, a non-protein, bioactive agent extracted from skin tissue with inflammation elicited by the Vaccinia virus.

Twenty-three patients with erectile dysfunction were enrolled in this study. They were divided into two groups. The first group was allocated 20 μg of PGE1 alone first, followed by PGE1 plus 1.5 ml of neurotropin after two weeks. The second group was allocated PGE1 plus 1.5 ml of neurotropin first, followed by PGE1 alone after two weeks.

Pain was evaluated by the visual analogue scale (VAS). In the 17 patients reporting discomfort, pain scores for PGE1 injection with neurotropin were significantly lower than those without neurotropin. No patients showed local or systemic complications that might be related to neurotropin.

From these data we conclude that neurotropin may be an effective and safe drug for penile pain associated with PGE1 intracavernous injection.