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Percutaneous angioplasty of internal pudendal artery stenosis with drug-eluting paclitaxel-coated balloons for the treatment of severe erectile dysfunction: a single-center pilot experience

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 37, pages 1008–1009 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as a persistent and consistent inability to obtain and/or maintain a penile erection enough for sexual intercourse [1]. Vascular disease is the most common organic etiology, while ED can also be of psychogenic or mixed etiology. Arteriogenic ED is the most widespread contributor among the vascular elements, as atherosclerosis affects penile vessel morphology and function and lessens their capacity to supply sufficient blood flow during an erection.

The arterial supply of penile vasculature is mainly from internal iliac arteries via the internal pudendal artery (IPA), approximately 2.5 mm in diameter, and ends at the penile artery. Distal IPA or proximal segment of the penile artery are where critical stenoses are commonly found.

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Fig. 1: Imaging of Interest.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, University of Verona, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy

    Filippo Migliorini, Claudio Brancelli, Sonia Costantino, Nicola De Maria, Antonio Benito Porcaro, Alessandro Veccia, Riccardo Rizzetto, Riccardo Bertolo & Alessandro Antonelli

  2. Department of Cardiology, University of Verona, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy

    Anna Marcer & Flavio Luciano Ribichini

Authors
  1. Filippo Migliorini
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  2. Claudio Brancelli
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  3. Sonia Costantino
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  4. Nicola De Maria
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  5. Anna Marcer
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  6. Antonio Benito Porcaro
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  7. Alessandro Veccia
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  8. Riccardo Rizzetto
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  9. Riccardo Bertolo
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  10. Flavio Luciano Ribichini
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  11. Alessandro Antonelli
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Contributions

Study conception and design: Migliorini, Ribichini. Data collection: De Maria, Marcer, Brancelli, Porcaro, Veccia, Rizzetto. Analysis and interpretation of results: Migliorini, Ribichini. Manuscript preparation: Migliorini, Brancelli, Costantino. Manuscript editing: Bertolo, Antonelli. Supervision: Antonelli.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Riccardo Bertolo.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

This pilot study did not require formal ethical approval as it involved the retrospective analysis of anonymized patients’ data with no direct patient intervention or identifiable private information. According to the Declaration of Helsinki, research involving de-identified datasets is exempt from ethical review as it poses no risk to individuals’ privacy or well-being. Furthermore, this study was observational and did not involve new data collection from participants or manipulation of health interventions. As such, it qualified for an ethical waiver status. Nevertheless, the study was conducted in accordance with ethical standards and with respect for data integrity, transparency, and compliance with any applicable regulations for secondary data analysis.

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Migliorini, F., Brancelli, C., Costantino, S. et al. Percutaneous angioplasty of internal pudendal artery stenosis with drug-eluting paclitaxel-coated balloons for the treatment of severe erectile dysfunction: a single-center pilot experience. Int J Impot Res 37, 1008–1009 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-025-01037-2

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