CORRELATION OF ULTRASTRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS IN CAVERNOUS TISSUE WITH THE CLINICAL-DIAGNOSIS VASCULOGENIC IMPOTENCE

Cavernous tissues of 27 impotent and 4 potent men were evaluated in or der to determine the ultrastructural changes in patients with vasculog enic impotence. Tissue samples were obtained during penile prosthesis insertions and surgical repairs of penile fractures in impotent and po tent patients, respectively. For the clinical evaluation (pharmacologi c color Doppler ultrasound, dynamic pharmacocavernosometry and nocturn al penile tumescence monitoring) patients were divided into three grou ps: slight/moderate arterial dysfunction (n = 5), severe arterial dysf unction (n = 9) and purely cavernous erectile dysfunction (n = 9). No significant ultrastructural alteration was noticed in the group with m oderate arterial dysfunction; decrease and deterioration of smooth mus cle cells was the prominent finding in the severe arterial and venogen ic dysfunction groups. Preliminary examination of cavernous tissue may be a part of routine evaluations in the approach to the management of erectile dysfunction.