Erectile dysfunction following transurethral resection of the prostate

Purpose: We objectively measured the incidence of erectile dysfunction following transurethral resection of the prostate. Materials and Methods: A total of 56 men completed a questionnaire detailing perceived sexual dysfunction, and underwent nocturnal penile tumescence testing for 3 nights before transurethral resection of the prostate and again at 3 months postoperatively. Results: Complete data were available for 40 men. No significant difference was found in penile tumescence, number of erectile events and duration of events before and after surgery. Preoperative and postoperative rigidity was statistically different, with a slight improvement after transurethral resection of the prostate (p < 0.05). A subjective decrease in quality of erection after transurethral resection of the prostate was reported in 27.5% of the patients. However, on further questioning, 63.6% of these patients equated retrograde ejaculation with decreased potency. Conclusions: We demonstrated no decrease in objective parameters of erectile function studies following transurethral resection of the prostate. Previous estimates of impotence after transurethral prostatectomy may have been tainted by subjective patient reports equating retrograde ejaculation with erectile dysfunction.