Role of Colour Doppler Ultrasound Examination of Cavernosal Artery in Cases of Suspected Vasculogenic Cause of Erectile Dysfunction

Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate role of Color Doppler ultrasound in suspected vasculogenic cause of male impotence in both erect and flaccid state of penis.

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in Department of Radiodiagnosis, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Delhi. Fifty male patients > 18 years of age with complaint of impotence for at least 6 months duration were included in the study.

Results: Peak systolic velocity (PSV) less than 25 cm/sec (post-intracavernosal injection of papaverine) had sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 96%, positive predictive value of 93.3%, and negative predictive value of 91.4% for arterial insufficiency. End diastolic velocity more than 5 cm/sec (post-intracavernosal injection of papaverine) had sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 92.5%, positive predictive value of 72.7% and negative predictive value of 94.8% for venous insufficiency

Conclusion: Color Doppler Ultrasound is first line modality in diagnosis of vasogenic cause of Erectile dysfunction both with or without use of pharmacostimulant. Our study suggests that PSV less than 25 cm/sec (post-intracavernosal injection of papaverine) helps in identifying patients with arterial insufficiency with sufficient amount of confidence with its specificity being more than its sensitivity.