Arjona, MF; Oteros, R; Zarca, MA; Fernandez, JD; Cortes, I

Santa Barbara Hosp, Dept Urol, Puertollano, Spain; Santa Barbara Hosp, Dept Clin Anal, Puertollano, Spain; Alcaros Hosp, Dept Intervent Radiol, Ciudad Real, Spain

Objectives: To identify prognostic parameters for patient outcome after embolization for erectile dysfunction (ED) due to venous leakage (VL). Methods: 23 patients presenting with ED due to pure venous leakage were selected. Intracavernous pharmacological testing, Doppler ultrasound, dynamic cavernosography-cavernosometry and cavernous oxygen tension were done. All patients underwent embolization of the leakage areas visualized. The results were assessed in terms of the response: good, partial or absent. Mean values were calculated for diastolic flow, oxygen tension, maintenance flow and pressure decay, and were compared between the group of patients who responded and the group which did not respond using Student's t test. Results: 26% had a good response, with a mean follow-up of 22 months, if we include partial response and adjuvant therapy this rate rises to 44%. A statistically significant relationship was found between the intracavernous oxygen tension and maintenance flow with a good response to treatment; patients with cavernosography types I and II showed a better response to treatment than those with cavernosography type III. Conclusions: Maintenance flow, intracavernous oxygen tension, and cavernosography types can be prognostic factors of success in the treatment of ED due to pure VL with embolization. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.