Intracavernous injection of prostaglandin E1 in impotent men.

Intracavernous injection of prostaglandin E1 was used in 210 men as a screening test for the differential diagnosis of vasculogenic impotence. Of these 210 patients 112 entered an autoinjection protocol for treatment of erectile dysfunction. Prostaglandin E1 appears to be effective in the diagnosis and treatment of nonvasculogenic impotence because it is a physiological agent that is metabolized locally within the cavernous tissue. Additionally, in our series neither systemic reactions nor priapism occurred, nor was fibrosis of cavernous tissue or scar formation observed after up to 90 injections.