Low-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation as a treatment for anejaculation caused by iatrogenic injury of the abdominal aorta: a case study

Abstract

Anejaculation is the inability to ejaculate during sexual activity, either in an antegrade or retrograde fashion. Both anejaculation following an iatrogenic injury of the abdominal aorta and the efficacy of low-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in treating anejaculation have been reported rarely. In this case report, we describe a patient who experienced anejaculation following an iatrogenic injury to the abdominal aorta and eventually regained normal ejaculation ability following treatment with NMES. The patient, a 23-year-old Chinese man, underwent laparoscopic varicocele ligation on both sides, during which he sustained a ruptured wound in the abdominal aorta from a 10-mm trocar. To stop the bleeding, he underwent abdominal aortic balloon catheter dilatation combined with covered stent implantation. However, 10 days after the endovascular interventions, the patient developed hemorrhagic shock and underwent emergency exploratory laparotomy and adventitial suture of the abdominal aorta. Despite normal erectile function since a week after the last surgery, the patient complained of aejaculation for a year during intercourse or masturbation. After receiving NMES treatment for over two months, the patient reported successful intravaginal ejaculation during intercourse, and the improvement persisted for a month after treatment. Altogether, these findings suggest that NMES could be a feasible, safe, and cost-effective treatment method for improving anejaculation and provides a novel option for patients with this condition.

Keywords

• anejaculation
• neuromuscular electrical stimulation
• iatrogenic injury
• abdominal aorta
• case report