PROSTAGLANDIN E(1) VERSUS LINSIDOMINE CHLORHYDRATE IN ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Recent experimental work has demonstrated that nitric oxide (NO) is th e neurotransmitter responsible for cavernous smooth muscle relaxation. Different studies on the performance of the direct NO donor linsidomi ne chlorhydrate (SIN-1) in patients with erectile dysfunction have had conflicting results. We performed a single-blind cross-over trial in 20 patients with erectile dysfunction of mixed etiology comparing pros taglandin E(1) (PGE(1)) to SIN-1 at two different dosages (1 and 2 mg, respectively) in order to determine the effectiveness of SIN-1. PGE(1 ) always achieved the best response, SIN-1 performed statistically sig nificantly poorer irrespective of the dosage used. There were only a f ew side effects with no significant difference. SIN-1 is not a useful alternative to PGE(1) in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.