Aorto-iliac reconstructions for intermittent claudication

Over a 12-year period, 290 aortofemoral reconstructions were performed for intermittent claudication involving 449 legs in 262 patients. The accumulative patency rate in surviving patients was 79 per cent at 5 years. The patency rate was significantly better in patients who stopped smoking after operation, and in men compared with women. Dacron grafts were significantly more successful than endarterectomy in men. If there was no associated superficial femoral artery occlusion, endarterectomy and Dacron bypass grafts were equally successful, but Dacron bypass grafts were significantly superior to endarterectomy if the superficial femoral artery was severely stenosed or occluded. The success rates for improving the patients' intermittent claudication were 90 per cent at 3 months and 72 per cent at 3 years. The success rate at 3 years was 80 per cent if the superficial femoral artery was patent but only 62 per cent if the superficial femoral artery was severely stenosed or occluded. Mortality and morbidity rates fell markedly in the last 6 years of the study.     

Evaluation of vasculogenic impotence

Penodynamics, the functional evaluation of erection after intracavernous injection of vasoactive drugs, is a simple screening test that excludes significant vascular problems if full erection occurs within a reasonable period of time. Although it is more invasive than the penile brachial index (PBI), it is well tolerated and easy to perform. There is good evidence that studies on the flaccid penis are less accurate and do not correlate well with the results of functional papaverine testing. To evaluate arteriogenic impotence, sonography and pulsed Doppler analysis combined with papaverine injections provide objective and reproducible measurements of diameter increase and blood flow of each penile artery and have the advantage of being a functional study. Although this equipment is expensive, it is available in many centers where noninvasive vascular flow studies are performed. With training, the technique can be mastered by anyone. The arterial response to papaverine and the resulting erection allow indirect judgment about the venous system. Therefore, the whole penile vasculature can be evaluated with this technique. Currently, many drugs or drug combinations are used to induce artificial erection, not only for diagnosis but also as a therapeutic alternative to penile prostheses. The only physiologic agent is prostaglandin E1, a substance that seems to be as effective as papaverine but can be metabolized within the cavernous tissue and reportedly results in fewer incidences of prolonged erection and priapism. The use of vasoactive drugs is also very helpful for angiographic studies by improving flow and diameter of the penile vessels, which will result in better images of the arterial lesions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Reconstructive surgery for vasculogenic impotence

A multidisciplinary approach was used to diagnose 12 patients with vasculogenic impotence. Deep dorsal vein ligation was performed in 8 men to treat venous incompetence. Venous arterialization according to the technique of Virag was used in 4 men to treat arterial inflow insufficiency. A 75 per cent success rate was noted for the correction of venous incompetence. With an average followup of 1 year, excellent success was achieved in re-establishing corporeal blood flow with the technique of venous arterialization plus creation of a venocorporeal shunt.     

A screening sequence for vasculogenic impotence

Delineation of neural, arterial, and venous components contributing to penile erectile failure is critical to proper patient selection for surgical interventions, particularly for a subset of men with impotence as the sole manifestation of pelvic arterial disease. In addition to obtaining a history and physical examination specific for disordered erectile function and vascular risk factors, we developed a sequence of testing to include noninvasive estimates of penile perfusion, pulse volume recording (PVR), and penile/brachial blood pressure indices (PBPI); somatosensory evoked potentials from dorsal penile (PEP) and posterior tibial nerve stimulation (SEP) and bulbocavernosus reflex time (BCR); stimulation of artificial erection with injection of papaverine (AE); and selective hypogastric-pudendal arteriography with patients under epidural anesthesia, and corpus cavernosography with AE. Three hundred fifty-three men complaining of impotence were screened by PVR and PBPI; among these 42 impotent men and 20 additional concurrent potent control subjects had evoked potentials and BCR measurements, and 55 men received one or more AE injections. On the basis of these results, angiographic investigation was recommended. Age and risk factors were similar in the two groups. Abnormal penile blood perfusion was associated significantly only with cigarette smoking (p less than 0.0001) or overt large vessel disease. Impotent men with (138) or without perfusion abnormalities (215) averaged 54 and 56 years of age, respectively; impotent men with normal flow patterns most commonly had treated hypertension or diabetes (79 of 215 men). Covert neurologic abnormalities were detected in 28 of 42 impotent men. Abnormal penile perfusion plus failure of AE predicted isolated ischiopudendal trunk or pudendal artery disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Recent advancement in diagnosis of vasculogenic impotence

Several dynamic tests with vasoactive drugs are available for evaluating penile vascular inflows and outflows, ranging from simple pharmacologic test to more invasive radiologic sets. However, there is still no perfect single test to reflect the penile vascular flow. All possible efforts should be exerted to get the greatest erectile effect to avoid an underestimation of blood flow to the corpora due to incomplete relaxation of the trabecular smooth muscle. Appreciation of the type and frequency of anatomical variations and potential collateral routes is important in interpreting penile arterograms and in evaluating the hemodynamic significance of suspected arterial disease. Choice of the vascular tests should always depend on the purpose of testing.     

The noninvasive diagnosis of vasculogenic impotence

One hundred eleven impotent men and 25 potent men were prospectively evaluated with a standardized exercise treadmill test (SETT) used to noninvasively define their pelvic hemodynamics. Fifty-six men had vasculogenic impotence, whereas the remaining 55 had erectile dysfunction resulting from undetermined causes (31), psychogenic factors (10), or other identifiable reasons (14). Arteriography was performed on 40 (71%) of the patients with vasculogenic impotence without false positive results, as well as in 11 (44%) of the potent control patients and in six (11%) of the patients with nonvasculogenic impotence without false negative results, confirming the validity of the SETT. The distinction between vasculogenic and nonvasculogenic impotence can be accurately made with the SETT. Patients with vasculogenic impotence had a resting penile-brachial index (PBI) equal to 0.60 +/- 0.022 (mean +/- SEM) and a PBI after exercise equal to 0.45 +/- 0.019 with a fall in the mean PBI of -0.15 (p less than 0.001). Patients with nonvasculogenic impotence had a resting PBI equal to 0.80 +/- 0.024 and a PBI after exercise equal to 0.88 +/- 0.019 with a rise in mean PBI of 0.08 (p less than 0.001). This response was not significantly different between the control group and the nonvasculogenic impotence patients. The addition of PBI determinations after treadmill exercise revealed that 18% of the patients with vasculogenic impotence would have been incorrectly diagnosed, because their resting PBI was greater than the traditional standard of 0.70. Furthermore, 18% of the patients with nonvasculogenic impotence would have been incorrectly diagnosed as having vasculogenic impotence because their resting PBI was less than 0.70.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Another surgical approach for vasculogenic impotence

Until recently, a defect in the capability of blood to be trapped in the corpus cavernosum so that adequate penile turgidity can be maintained for successful intercourse has not been considered a major etiology for impotence. A diagnostic test called dynamic cavernosography was developed that consists of a cine-taped cavernosogram in conjunction with intracavernous pressure measurements at 3 different cavernous infusion rates. The results of 104 of these tests are presented. More recently, 17 of these patients also have undergone papaverine tests. Of the patients 59 per cent had no or only partial erections at all infusion rates and pressure did not increase to greater than 50 mm. Hg. The papaverine test showed only partial or no tumescence when 60 mg. were injected into the corpora. As a result, 25 patients underwent a penile operation to remove some venous outflow channels. Of the patients who underwent an operation for absent tumescence at any flow rate and who had a large number of venous channels draining the corpora cavernosa on the cavernosogram 59 per cent were potent postoperatively.     

Radioisotope penogram in diagnosis of vasculogenic impotence

A radioisotope technique to estimate penile blood flow is described. The radioisotope penogram is noninvasive and gives a dynamic evaluation of the arterial supply, venous drainage, and blood flow in the corporeal bodies. The penogram is a valuable adjunct in evaluation of patients with vasculogenic impotence.     

Recent advancement in diagnosis of vasculogenic impotence

Several dynamic tests with vasoactive drags are available for evaluating penile vascular inflows and outflows,ranging from simple pharmacologic test to more invasive radiologic sets. However, there is still no perfect single testto reflect the penile vascular flow. All possible efforts should be exerted to get the greatest erectile effect to avoid anunderestimation of blood flow to the corpora due to incomplete relaxation of the trabecular smooth muscle.Appreciation of the type and frequency of anatomical variations and potential collateral routes is important in interpretingpenile arterograms and in evaluating the hemodynamic significance of suspected arterial disease. Choice of the vasculartests should always depend on the purpose of testing.     

A new operative technique in vasculogenic erectile impotence

Summary The vasculogenic erectile impotence is essentially more often than it has been accepted up to this day. So far, the diagnosis is established with selective arteriography of the penis. The vasculogenic impotence is more found by peripheral vasculopathies like diabetes mellitus and nicotine abuse. The diabetical diseases lead firstly to vasculopathies and secondly to neuropathies. The operative correcture of the vasculogenic impotence haas not succeeded reliable until now because the postoperative thrombotic closures of the anastomosis have showed failures. We have improved considerably the success rate with our new concept that an arterio-venous shunt is to installe addicionally near to the arterio-arterial anastomosis.     

Penile plethysmography useful in diagnosis of vasculogenic impotence

Pulse-volume recordings were obtained in 40 normal subjects and 62 patients with history of impotence. In office practice, this study proved to be valuable for estimating penile perfusion. Penile plethysmography is a unique and adaptable screening method for penile blood flow. It measures the contributions of all vessels at the root of the penis. Pulse-volume recordings also were found to correlate with the severity of pelvic angiographic patterns of occlusive disease. Further investigation is necessary to determine the precision with which the method can detect penile blood flow in patients with early vascular compromise.     

Hyperemic stress test in diagnosis of vasculogenic impotence

A hyperemic stress test was used to determine vasculogenic impotence in 100 men (50 potent, 50 impotent). Normal potent males had a resting penile: brachial index ratio of 0. 75 and uniformly demonstrated a hyperemic response to the cuff occlusion stress test with a mean of 20 per cent increase in penile pressure. Penile blood pressure did not increase in impotent men, and often it decreased in response to the stress test.     

Double-blind, cross-over study comparing prostaglandin E1 and papaverine in patients with vasculogenic impotence

Intracorporeal injection of vasoactive agents is the treatment of choice for many patients with organic impotence. However, some patients with vasculogenic impotence respond poorly to injections of papaverine or papaverine/phentolamine. This study was conducted to determine if patients with vasculogenic impotence who failed to respond to papaverine might respond to prostaglandin E1 and thus be salvaged from possible prosthetic surgery. A total of 54 patients with vasculogenic impotence were administered intracorporeal prostaglandin E1 (20 micrograms) and intracorporeal papaverine (60 mg) randomized in a double-blind fashion and crossed over one week later. Forty-six percent of patients receiving prostaglandin E1 produced a satisfactory erection compared with 14 percent of patients with a similar response to papaverine. The difference between these results was highly significantly by the McNemar test. The number of side effects were similar for both drugs. Prostaglandin E1 might be considered the intracorporeal agent of choice for patients with significant vasculogenic impotence.     

Thermography as a diagnostic measure of vasculogenic impotence

There is no correlation between penile-brachial index (PBI) and thermography. While it has been shown to be of significant value in other areas of medicine, thermography is non-contributory to the diagnosis of vasculogenic impotence.     

Microsurgical arteriovenous revascularization in the treatment of vasculogenic impotence.

We studied 35 patients with vasculogenic impotence who underwent an operation since 1986 and who were followed postoperatively for a minimum of 1.5 years. In all patients a microsurgical anastomosis was performed between the inferior epigastric artery and the arteriovenous shunt of the dorsal penile vessels. Potency was restored or improved in 77% of the patients during the long-term observation. Doppler or duplex sonography confirmed the same percentage of patent anastomoses. Through microsurgical modifications of the Hauri procedure and the interposition of free venous grafts, it was possible to operate further in 3 patients with short epigastric arteries and to treat intraoperative complications effectively in 1.     

双功能超声和彩色多普勒显像对血管性阳萎的诊断分析

５９例阳萎患者海绵体内注射罂粟硷前后的双功能超声和彩色多普勒显像，与阴茎血压、灌注性阴茎海绵体造影和部分手术结果进行分析对比，发现１１例血管正常（１９％），１９例动脉功能不全（３２％），２９例静脉漏（４９％）。对阴茎海绵体双功能超声和彩色多普勒显像诊断血管性阳萎的临床价值作了探讨。     

Cigarette smoking and other vascular risk factors in vasculogenic impotence

A total of 132 consecutive patients with erectile impotence underwent extensive evaluation, including vascular evaluation with intracavernous injection of papaverine and penile duplex ultrasonography, to determine the etiology of impotence. Three vascular risk factors, smoking, diabetes mellitus and hypertension, were investigated for their impact on vasculogenic impotence. The patients were divided into four groups: one with no risk factors, one with one vascular risk factor, one with two vascular risk factors, and one with all three risk factors. The results of penile vascular evaluation in these patient groups were compared. The incidence of penile vascular impairment was found to be higher in patients with one vascular risk factor than in those with none. The proportion of abnormal penile vascular findings significantly increased as the number of risk factors increased. These data confirm the important role of vascular risk factors, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, in the pathogenesis of organic impotence.     

Internal iliac artery revascularization in the treatment of vasculogenic impotence

Five impotent men underwent internal iliac artery revascularization in conjunction with end-to-side aortobifemoral bypass after preoperative testing suggested a vasculogenic cause for impotence. All patients had abnormal preoperative penile/brachial arterial pressure indices (mean, 0.42 +/- 0.12). Following operation, all patients regained erectile capability and had normal postoperative penile/brachial indices (mean, 0.80 +/- 0.06). One patient developed retrograde ejaculation, emphasizing the need for meticulous nerve-sparing dissection with this operation. Internal iliac artery revascularization in conjunction with end-to-side aortobifemoral bypass is effective in relieving vasculogenic impotence in properly selected patients.