[Selective arteriography in the study of arterial vasculogenic impotence]

According to the fundamental circulatory nature of penile erection, insufficiency of the arterial blood supply to the corpora cavernosa caused by an organic arterial disease is found in a large fraction of case, overall among the patients aged more than 40. It is possible to evaluate arterial origin of erectile dysfunction by using of noninvasive methods, but to obtain the necessary panoramicity and the characterization of the lesions it needs the use of angiography. Performance of standard arteriography leads to insufficient visualization of pudendal and penile vessels and risks false positive results. Because of penile hemodynamic variability in its different states is necessary the use of pharmacologic devices to perform a diagnostic arteriography. For the selective study of the pudenda and peniena vascularization we perform a selective arteriography bilaterally, with the catheter tip placed in the proximal part of the internal iliac artery. We use a contrast medium particularly diluted and mixed with xylocaine. We perform angiographic sequences after intracavernous injection of 8-10 mgr of papaverine to obtain the maximum blood flow and to prevent spasm of the terminal arterioles. Arteriography gives a complete study of the pudenda arterial tree and its terminal ramifications, and it is able to supply all the necessary informations regarding the planning of revascularization procedures. Treatment of arterial lesions is possible with surgical and radiologic methods. As in other arteries, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (P.T.A.) can be applied in the therapy of impotence caused by arterial insufficiency. P.T.A. is the election treatment in the stenosis of the common iliac and internal iliac arteries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)