Determination of area of leak in venogenic impotence: a mathematical model

Erectile dysfunction is an increasing medical problem, affecting up to 50% of men. Most cases are vasculogenic and most of these stem from the inability of the penis to store blood during erection due to venous leak. The area of leakage during erection could be the most direct measure of erectile function but has not been investigated before. We developed a mathematical model to determine the area of leak during erection and tested it on data from both normal men (n=3) and men with venogenic impotence (n=13) undergoing dynamic infusion cavernosometry. The area of leak in the impotent group is significantly greater than in normal men and reaches a plateau at approximately 90 mmHg intracavernosal pressure. This is similar to the mean arterial pressure of 102/spl plusmn/8 mmHg, suggesting a correlation. Based on this study, we suggest that performing DIC on pressures greater than 90 mmHg or greater than mean arterial pressure, may be unnecessary.