Objective       To observe the clinical efficiency  of gradually reducing doses of vardenafil for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction.       Methods        Sixty-five treatment-naive patients with erectile dysfunction admitted in our hospital from January 2011 to June 2014 who received step-down therapy were enrolled in this study. They were given oral vardenafil 20 mg/time (phase A)

10 mg /time (phase B)

and 5 mg/time (phase C)

each phase lasting for one month.       Results      After the treatment

international index of erectile function (IIEF) of all phases was significantly higher than that before treatment (P0.05). Penile penetration success rates of the 3 phases were 78.1%

75.9%

and 69.1%

respectively. The success rates of sexual intercourse were 74.9%

70.7%

and 66.9%

which were significantly higher than those before treatment (P0.05). The rates of drug side effects of the 3 phases were 56.9%

29.2%

and 26.2%

respectively

and compared with phase B and phase C

phase A had higher drug side effects

with statistically significant difference (P0.05).       Conclusion       Step-down therapy of vardenafil is effective for the treatment of erectile dysfunction with few drug side effects.