"Medtronic Inc a manufacturer of pacemakers heart stents and spine products has developed a device to tackle another common health problem erectile dysfunction.  The medical device maker said it completed an initial feasibility study of  men average age of  who suffered from erectile dysfunction ED. After three months the results were promising the company said.  The stent  a tiny wire mesh tube similar to those used to prop open heart arteries  was placed in the internal pudendal artery which supplies blood to the penis.  The stent was delivered using a catheter threaded up to the pelvis where the pudendal artery is located. It was placed in the artery opening the vessel and allowing for better blood flow.  ED is largely a vascular disease and thats why Medtronic was interested in this said Dr. Jason Rogers of UC Davis Medical Center one of the researchers of the companysponsored trial.  There are an estimated  million men in the United States who have ED and  million worldwide.  Rogers said up to  percent of men discontinue drug therapy  which includes Viagra Levitra and Cialis  either because it did not work or because they could not tolerate side effects including lowering of blood pressure.  He also noted that men who take certain drugs for heart disease cannot use the popular pills.  Theres a real unmet clinical need Rogers said.  Initial findings showed twothirds of men who underwent the  to hour procedure improved by at least  points on the point Internal Index of Erectile Dysfunction scale he said.  There were no adverse events reported up to three months later but Rogers acknowledged that risks may become evident much later.  This is still investigational and requires more research. It is the inception of an entirely new way of treating ED that has never been seen before he said.  Rogers said it could be several years before Medtronic undertakes a much larger latestage trial.  Medtronic shares gained . percent to close at . on Wednesday.  Reporting by Debra Sherman in Chicago editing by Matthew Lewis Our StandardsThe Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. httpthomsonreuters.comenaboutustrustprinciples.html"