[Risk stratification and follow-up assessment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: Recommendations of the Cologne Consensus Conference 2016]. / Risikostratifizierung und Verlaufskontrollen bei PAH-Patienten: Empfehlungen der Kölner Konsensus-Konferenz 2016.

The 2015 European Guidelines on Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension are also valid for Germany. The guidelines contain detailed information about the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, and furthermore provide novel recommendations for risk stratification and follow-up assessments. However, the practical implementation of the European Guidelines in Germany requires the consideration of several country-specific issues and already existing novel data. This requires a detailed commentary to the guidelines, and in some aspects an update already appears necessary. In June 2016, a Consensus Conference organized by the PH working groups of the German Society of Cardiology (DGK), the German Society of Respiratory Medicine (DGP) and the German Society of Pediatric Cardiology (DGPK) was held in Cologne, Germany. This conference aimed to solve practical and controversial issues surrounding the implementation of the European Guidelines in Germany. To this end, a number of working groups was initiated, one of which was specifically dedicated to risk stratification and follow-up assessment of patients with PAH. This manuscript summarizes the results and recommendations of this working group.

[Results of multidisciplinary assessment of patients with erectile dysfunction]. / Ergebnisse nach multidisziplinärer Abklärung bei Patienten mit erektiler Dysfunktion.

A total of 326 patients with chronic erectile dysfunction were investigated by a multidisciplinary approach. It was found that several causes combined (multifactorial genesis) in 77.1%. Organic causes alone were found quite frequently, viz. in 43.6%, while primarily psychogenic causes alone were found in only 5.5%; in contrast, combined organic and psychogenic causes were found in 46.0%. There were pathologic organic findings in 89.6%: vascular in 74.5% (arterial 64.1%, cavernous/venous 30.4%), neurogenic in 42.0%; side effects of drugs in (10.1%); endocrine (7.7%) and local penile causes (4.3%) are not so important in erectile dysfunction. Treatment suited to the pathogenesis was instituted (psychotherapy, vein ligation, self-injection of vasoactive drugs into the corpus cavernosum).