Intraoperative pharmacological erection as an aid to pediatric hypospadias repair

The intraoperative evaluation of erection is a major advance in hypospadias surgery. We determined the advantages of erections induced pharmacologically over those induced by intracorporeal saline injection for evaluating chordee during hypospadias surgery.

During the repair of hypospadias or chordee without hypospadias 56 boys 6 months to 13 years old underwent pharmacological erection induced by 14 microg. alprostadil administered intracavernously. Phenylephrine (40 microg. ) was given for detumescence. We monitored the adequacy of erection and detumescence, changes in blood pressure and pulse, and in 3 cases intracorporeal pressure. Intraoperative artificial erection was also induced in 30 patients.

Erection occurred within 1 minute of injection. It was judged to be excellent in 47 cases and adequate in 6, while it failed in 3 probably due to injection outside of the corpora. Erection involved the whole penis, in contrast to artificial erection when tourniquet placement altered the erection and left the penile base flaccid. The degree of chordee remained stable during evaluation compared to artificial erection when curvature varied with the force of the saline injection. Erection persisted during chordee repair as long as the corpora were not opened. Detumescence occurred within seconds in all cases in which phenylephrine was given. There were no cases of priapism, and systemic blood pressure and pulse did not change. Intracorporeal pressure during pharmacological erection was 47 to 70 mm. Hg, whereas during artificial erection pressure was 50 to 250 mm. Hg depending on how much saline was injected and how rapidly fluid drained through the tourniquet. Chordee was induced by over injection.

Pharmacological erection in hypospadias repair is effective and reliable with no significant complications. It is especially valuable in severe hypospadias and in patients with a large suprapubic fat pad. Artificial erection with saline injection should be performed with only moderate force since over filling is unphysiological and may falsely induce chordee.