[Intracavernous auto-injection of prostaglandin E1 for diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction]

34 impotent patients were offered auto-injection therapy and all except 2 began treatment. Prostaglandin E1 (PGE) was used regularly for a mean of 8.6 months (range 1-17). The onset of erection was 5-30 min (mean 11.4) after injection and it lasted at least 30 min (mean 106.2 min). An erection of more than 6 hrs was observed in only 2 patients. There have been no instances of cavernous fibrosis, chemical priapism or systemic reactions. The most common adverse effect was penile pain after injection. It was mild to moderate in 4 patients (11.7%), and in only 1 was it severe enough to require stopping treatment. Overall, intracavernous injection of PGE appears to be safe, effective treatment for impotence without side-effects other than pain after injection in a few.