Comparison of the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and tadalafil daily use on erectile function: a prospective, double controlled study

Purpose Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a worldwide health problem. Oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5I) are used in its first-line treatment. This study aimed to compare the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment with PDE5I treatment and determine the patient-dependent factors affecting the efficacy of the HBO treatment and duration of action of HBO treatment. Methods Adult male patients who presented to the HBO unit for HBO treatment with non-urological indications and had ED based on the International Index for Erectile Function (IIEF-5) constituted the target population of this study. Participants were given HBO treatment (Group 1), no treatment (Group 2), or daily oral tadalafil 5 mg treatment (Group 3). The treatment duration was 1 month. Patients were assessed by IIEF-5 both initially and after the completion of 1 month. Results There were significant increases in the mean IIEF-5 scores of the patients in Group 1 and Group 3 ( p