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A company that makes medical devices, Medtronic Inc, this week announced that they beginning a feasibility study into a new treatment for erectile dysfunction that uses a stent to deliver medication to the genitals.

The study is called Zen and the company have said they are aiming to enrol 50 subjects in up to 10 medical centres around the US over the coming year. The company are hoping that the new treatment method will provide men who do not respond well to PDE5 inhibitors, namely Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, with another option.

A stent is a small device that is inserted into a natural passage or conduit in the body. They are usually used to treat coronary heart disease by opening clogged arteries. Medtronic have designed a special stent that will be inserted into the pelvic artery to counteract coronary heart disease-related impotence.

They plan to work with urologists and interventionists at the different medical centres who take part in the trial and hope that results will be available in 2011.