[Sexual function in males undergoing liver transplantation].

Background: Sexual dysfunction is very common in liver transplantation candidates. Our objective is to determine the sexual life quality of males before and after liver transplantation.

Methods: Questionnaire was sent to 56 males over 18 years of age with at least six-month survival after orthotopic liver transplantation. The self-administered questionnaire contained 15 questions with 5 or 6 alternatives to determine the male sexual function which may be divided into 5 domains: 1) erectile function; 2) orgasmic function; 3) sexual desire; 4) intercourse satisfaction; and 5) overall satisfaction with sexual life. Each answer received a score. Domains scores were computed by summing the scores for individual answers and they were compared before and after the liver transplantation.

Results: Twenty-five patients answered the questionnaire completely. All 5 sexual function domains improved after liver transplantation. The score of the erectile function increased from 21.12 +/- 8.07 to 26.52 +/- 5.22 (p=0.004), of the orgasmic function from 7.28 +/- 3.05 to 9.36 +/- 1.47 (p=0.008), of the sexual desire from 6.64 +/- 2.58 to 8.68 +/- 1.35 (p=0.005), of intercourse satisfaction from 9.16 +/- 3.83 to 12.52 +/- 2.65 (p<0.0001) and of overall satisfaction from 7.12 +/- 2.64 to 9.24 +/- 1.65 (p=0.002).

Conclusions: Sexual dysfunction is common in males with severe chronic liver disease and liver transplantation improves all sexual function domains: erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction and overall satisfaction.