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.
Hepatic transplantation; Sexual function and a dysfunction
