Erectile impotence associated with transurethral prostatectomy.

A prospective study was done on the erectile function of 35 randomly-selected patients undergoing transurethral prostatectomy for benign prostatic hypertrophy. A preoperative sexual history was obtained, and the erectile function of each patient was recorded using a nocturnal penile tumescence monitor. Four to six weeks postoperatively, a repeat sexual history was taken and the erectile function was reassessed. In 12 of the 35 patients we noted a discordance between the erectile potency they reported in their sexual histories and the objective testing. There was no significant difference between the preoperative and postoperative nocturnal penile tumescence recordings for any given patient.