[Psychological features and Doppler-Duplex in erectile disfunction]

To establish a relationship between Doppler-Duplex colour ultrasound after prostaglandin intracorporeal injec tion and psychological features in patients suffering from erectile dysfunction.

Forty two patients with erectile dysfunction were prospectively evaluated with Doppler-Duplex colour ultra sonography after intracavernosal injection of 20 micrograms of E1 prostaglandin. Dynamic vascular pattern were analyzed an penile tumescence were graded in poor, moderate or good (I, II, III). All of them completed the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction, International Exam of Personality Traits (IPDE) and the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90).

29 patients (69.05%) showed a normal ultrasonography response (Peak Systolic Velocity >30 cm/s; Telediastolic velocity negative or less than 5 cm/s and penile tumescence grade III) and were classified as good responders with probably psy chogenic erectile dysfunction. Patients who did not show these values were classified in the group of erectile dysfunction of vas cular origin. We found significative differences between the two groups in sex desire, tumescence and paranoid personality. Th more frequent personality features were paranoid and squizoid (excentric) and ananchastic and anxious (fearful ones). Somatization and obsessive-compulsive symptoms have been outlined over the rest. We have found that paranoid personality is sixteen times more frequent in patients with normal ultrasonography.

Psychological features and dysfunctional personality traits accompany psychogenic and organic erectile dys function, thus it is thought that mixed aetiology coexist in this patients. Doppler-Dupplex Colour ultrasound is an usefu method to exclude organic vascular factors. On de basis of our article, is more common to find psychological discomfort an dysfunctional personality traits in patients with normal ultrasound, which may help in their diagnosis and treatment.