EVIDENCE FOR A PERINEAL VASCULAR-RESPONSE INDUCED BY GLANS-PENIS PRESSURE STIMULATION

The authors investigated the changes in human perineal blood flow by D oppler ultrasonography before, during, and after pressure stimulations (30 150 mm Hg) applied to the glans penis. We found a local increased blood flow response in 72% of 50 patients who consulted our center fo r erectile dysfunctions. Precise measurement analyses of 10 of these s ubjects allowed us to further characterize this response. Its latency ranged from 0.1 to 0.8 sec. and its duration from 4 to 13 sec. The blo od flow increased up to 8 times the prestimulation level. This consist ent increase in perineal blood flow showed much less variability than either the latency or duration of the response. The results of this st udy suggest that intravaginal pressures exerted on the glans penis dur ing vaginal penetration and intercourse trigger an augmentation of blo od flow into the corpora cavernosa. the reflex nature of this response is currently under investigation.