Mini transperineal stimulator helps fix premature ejaculation

Use of the miniature transperineal electrical stimulator vPatch can potentially treat lifelong premature ejaculation (PE) by prolonging coitus on demand, suggests a recent study.

Fifty-nine patients (mean age 39.8 years) with lifelong PE participated in this prospective bicentre international clinical study, which consisted of two arms. The authors measured intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) over a 2-week run-in period during the initial visit. They confirmed eligibility in visit 2, based on IELT values, medical and sexual history, and individual sensory and motor activation thresholds during perineal stimulation with the vPatch.

Patients were randomly assigned 2:1 to the active (vPatch) and sham device groups. The safety profile of the vPatch device was determined by comparing the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events. The authors recorded the Clinical Global Impression of Change scores and Premature Ejaculation Profile questionnaire outcomes during the third visit. They compared each patient with him/herself, with and without the device, and the sham group with the active group.

Fifty-one patients completed the study: 34 in the active group and 17 in the sham group. The active group showed a significant increase in baseline geometric mean IELT from 67 to 123 seconds (p<0.01), while the sham group demonstrated a nonsignificant increase from 63 to 81 seconds (p=0.17). The mean IELT increase was markedly greater in the active vs sham group (56 vs 18 seconds; p=0.01). Notably, IELT significantly increased by 3.1 times in the active vs sham group.

The mean ratio of fold change (active:sham) was 1.4, which substantially differed from 1.0 (p=0.02). Serious adverse events were not reported.

“Therapeutic use of the vPatch during coitus may become an on-demand, noninvasive, and drug-free treatment for PE,” the authors said.