Cavernosometry: a theoretical analysis

Erectile dysfunction may be caused by hormonal, neural, arterial, or venous factors. Cavernosometry is used to test for venous leaks. The outcome of surgical procedures attempting to block off veins that allow blood to leak from the penile tissues is still poor. This procedure commonly follows a diagnostic procedure based on cavernosometry after good arterial inflow has been established. To study the cavernosometry test, a mathematical model of penile hemodynamics was used to analyze the significance of its indications and its sensitivity to both arterial and venous factors. The model elucidates the mechanism of cavernosometry and shows that indeed this test is sensitive to venous factors and insensitive to arterial factors. The model also supports the use of supra-arterial pressure during cavernosometry, and the use of the slope of the flow-to-maintain vs maintained-pressure curve as an indicator of venous leak severity.