Penile Doppler ultrasound assessment of the cavernous arteries

To evaluate the possible relationship between the basal and dynamic diameter of the cavernous arteries and altered peak diastolic (PDV) and systolic values (PSV) in patients undergoing penile Doppler ultrasound for differential diagnosis of erectile dysfunction (ED).

From December 2003 to December 2004 we examined 132 consecutive patients suffering from erectile dysfunction and 30 controls. All patients underwent penile Doppler ultrasound in basal and dynamic conditions and all the examinations were performed by measurements of the cavernous arteries diameters in basal and dynamic conditions.

In the 30 healthy controls the mean cavernous arteries diameter was 0.82 mm (range 0.6-1.3 mm) on the right and 0.8 mm (range 0.5-1.25 mm) in basal conditions vs 1.30 mm (range 0.9-1.6 mm) on the right and 1.25 on the left (range 0.9 -1.60 mm) in dynamic conditions after injection of 10 microg. In the 132 patients with a diagnosis of organic ED, the mean diameter was 0.70 mm (range 0.3-1.3 mm) on the right and 0.76 mm (range 0.3-1.24) on the left in basal conditions vs 1.21 mm (range 0.8-1.93 mm) on the right and 1.24 mm (range 0.9-1.66 mm) on the left in dynamic conditions after injection of 10 microg.

In our experience, assessment of the cavernous arteries in basal and dynamic conditions provides important additional data. Altered basal and dynamic values are predictive of anomalous PDV and PSV findings.