Saline-induced artificial erection without papaverine: a potential source of error in diagnosing cavernosal venous...

The diagnosis of venous leakage as a cause of impotence, based on failure to induce an artificial erection by means of rapid saline infusion alone, may be invalid. Our recent experience with 2 men whose impotence was subsequently found to be psychogenic in nature suggests that saline erection cavernosometry should routinely incorporate the intracavernosal administration of papaverine, in order to avoid a falsely positive diagnosis of venous leakage.