[Impotence of arterial origin: experimental models and evaluation of sexual behavior in rats]

Work on the vascular anatomy and on the physiology of the penis have allowed developing new procedures to treat impotence. This study has dealt with four experimental models of impotence of arterial origin in rats. The assessment was based on sexual behavior tests and on the measurement of the erection capacity index (ECI) measured from the second to the fifth week after interruption of the arterial flow. Four groups of eight rats each were formed. Group A underwent unilateral ligation of the common iliac artery, group B bilateral ligation of the common iliac artery, group C bilateral ligation of the internal iliac arteries and group D ipsilateral ligation of the common iliac and internal iliac arteries. In group A, the percentage of true coituses was 72.7 and 83.3% on the second and third week, respectively. In group B the percentage of false coituses was higher with 82.3%, 90% and 81.2% on the second, third and fourth week, respectively. In group C, the percentage of true coituses ranged from 7.7% to 35.7% during the whole period of observation. The erection capacity index was of 0.24 in group B and 0.23 in group C, with a higher percentage of false coituses in groups C and B. These models can be used to study the physiopathology of impotence of arterial origin.