ELECTRICAL-ACTIVITY OF CORPUS CAVERNOSUM IN VASCULOGENIC AND NON-VASCULOGENIC ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

We aimed to compare the electrical activity of corpus cavernosum befor e and after intracavernous papaverine injection and to determine the b lood Lipid profile in vascular and non-vascular erectile dysfunction, and also to assess whether vascular pathology and abnormal blood Lipid levels impair cavernosal smooth-muscle relaxation. We determined tota l cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and high-density Lipoprotein (HD L) levels in peripheral and cavernosal blood in 39 patients with erect ile dysfunction. Electromyography of the corpus cavernosum was perform ed before and after an intracavernous injection with 60 mg of papaveri ne in all patients. Thirty-nine impotent patients have been divided in to two groups: vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (VED) and non-vasculo genic erectile dysfunction (NVED), according to colour Doppler ultraso nic flowmetry, dynamic infusion cavernosometry and the pressure differ ence between the brachial arterial systolic pressure and cavernosal ar terial systolic pressure measurements. Biochemical values and amplitud e changes were compared in both groups. The TC level was higher in bot h peripheral and cavernosal samples of the VED group than in the NVED group (p = 0.000), with no differences between peripheral and cavernos al blood levels within the same groups (p > 0.05). There were no signi ficant changes in TG and HDL levels in any of the groups (p > 0.05). T he mean amplitude differences before and after papaverine injection (D elta A) were found to be 2.05 +/- 0.78 mu V in the VED group and 4.68 +/- 2.53 mu V in the NVED group, showing that the relaxation response to papaverine was more significant in the NVED than in the VED group ( p = 0.003). The moderate decreases in the amplitudes of electrical act ivity of corpus cavernosum and the higher TC levels found in the VED g roup can be accepted as the parameters of impairment in the relaxation of corpus cavernosum, showing the role of hypercholesterolaemia and v ascular pathologies in erectile dysfunction.