Intracavernosal therapy: when oral agents fail.

Erectile dysfunction is a common problem in men older than 40 years, and the incidence increases markedly with age. Approximately one fourth of impotent men use intracavernosal injections as a primary treatment. Since its original description in the early 1980s, injection therapy has been used safely and successfully by many men and their partners. Intraurethral and oral agents for the treatment of erectile dysfunction have been introduced over the last few years, but early reports of patient satisfaction and reproducibility of erectile rigidity have not matched those of intracavernosal therapy. Thus, injection therapy remains on the forefront of treatment options.