Vacuum devices for the impotent.

Vacuum constriction devices for the treatment of impotence achieve entrapment of blood in the penis following mechanically produced tumescence. Following application, blood flow is sustained, and the majority of users can achieve either an erection or an erection-like state that is satisfactory for intercourse. Properly motivated men can use these devices long-term without serious side effects. The devices are particularly effective in the management of partial impotence; they represent an attractive alternative to surgical procedures upon the penis, intracavernosal injection of vasoactive drugs, and sexual abstinence.