[Intracavernous injection of papaverine hydrochloride for impotence in patients with spinal cord injury].

Twenty-one intracavernous injections of 40 or 60 mg papaverine hydrochloride were given to ten male paraplegics. Erection sufficient for coitus was achieved within a few minutes after 15 of the injections (71.4%). Tumescence of the penis lasted from 18 minutes to 48 hours and the penile tumescence of the patients who had reflective erection usually lasted longer than that of the patients who did not. The trial that lasted for 48 hours resulted in the fracture of the penis that was presumed to have occurred during coitus and it was treated operatively. Intracavernous injection of papaverine hydrochloride is available for the impotence of male paralegics, but both doctor and patient must be careful about the sensory disturbance of the penis to avoid penile injury during erection. Further studies are needed to establish safety and long-term efficacy, as well as to determine if histological change of cavernous body occurs by repeated injection.