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 order to determine the ultrastructural changes in patients with vasculogenic impotence. Tissue samples were obtained during penile prosthesis insertions and surgical repairs of penile fractures in impotent and potent patients, respectively. For the clinical evaluation (pharmacologic color Doppler ultrasound, dynamic pharmacocavernosometry and nocturnal penile tumescence monitoring) patients were divided into three groups: slight/moderate arterial dysfunction (n = 5), severe arterial dysfunction (n = 9) and purely cavernous erectile dysfunction (n = 9). No significant ultrastructural alteration was noticed in the group with moderate arterial dysfunction; decrease and deterioration of smooth muscle cells was the prominent finding in the severe arterial and venogenic dysfunction groups. Preliminary examination of cavernous tissue may be a part of routine evaluations in the approach to the management of erectile dysfunction.