Pharmacocavernometry: A multipurpose test in the evaluation of vasculogenic impotence

Pharmacocavcmometry and pharmacocavcrnog- raphy were performed on 29 patients with erectile dysfunction. The papaverine test was negative and arterial insufficiency was ruled out by means of duplex penile ultrasonography for all of the patients. We divided the patients into two groups according to their pharmacocavcmometric findings. The first group included 17 patients with intracavcmous pressures below 50 mmHg, ten minutes after the papaverine injection (Pio) and five minutes after the end of saline infusion (Pend). The second group included 12 patients with Pio pressures below and Pend pressures above 50 mmHg. Significant differences were noted between the Pend values and average infusion rates for induction and maintenance of the two groups (P < 0.05). Moreover, we compared the pharmacoca- vemomctric findings with pharmacocavemograms of each patient and found out that despite a negative papaverine test, none of the 12 patients in the second group had venous leakage.We concluded that pharmacocavemometry is a useful and reliable test to increase the sensitivity of the papaverine test and diagnose excessive venous leakage from penile veins.