DOPPLER SONOGRAPHY IN THE EVALUATION OF CORPOROVENOUS COMPETENCE AFTER PENILE VEIN LIGATION SURGERY

Doppler ultrasonographic findings in patients after penile vein ligati on surgery are described and compared to the results of cavernosometry and cavernosography. Peak systolic and end diastolic velocities were recorded for both cavernosal arteries at 5 min intervals after papaver ine injection for a total of 30 min. Peak end diastolic flow rates wer e compared with cavernosometric and cavernosographic results at 0-10 m in, 11-20 min, and 21-30 min. Cavernosography identified venous leakag e in nine patients. The end diastolic velocities were greater than the 5 cm/s threshold level generally considered to be indicative of venou s leakage in nine of the nine patients (100%) at 0-10 min, in eight of the nine (89%) at 11-20 min, and in nine of the nine (100%) at 21-30 min. Although peak end diastolic velocities at or near the 5 cm/s thre shold could be found in patients both with and without recurrent venou s leakage in the initial 10 min of the studies, only patients with rec urrent venous leakage had diastolic velocities that exceeded the 5 cm level when measured 10 min or more after injection. Measurement of end diastolic velocities between 21 and 30 min after injection seemed to discriminate most effectively the patients with recurrent venous leaka ge from those without leakage in the postoperative population.