[Dimensions, volume and rigidity of the penis. Fundamental elements in the study of the erection and its dysfunctions].

The length and the proximal and distal circumferences of the flaccid and erect penis were measured as part of the aetiological investigation of 62 impotent patients. These measurements, compared with the quantitative study of penile rigidity, demonstrate the lack of correlation between circumference changes and rigidity and constitute a simple method for the measurement of penile volume variations and, when compared with penile rigidity, provide important information concerning the physiology of erection and its dysfunction.