Artificial erection by perfusion of penile arteries.

The dorsal and cavernous arteries of the penis in 14 cadavers and 4 surgical specimens were studied, and the role of these vessels in producing erection was evaluated. For the first time, erection was produced in a cadaver by the perfusion of the cavernous artery. Perfusing the dorsal artery resulted in distention but not erection, and the dorsal artery showed extensive anastomoses between all six arteries of the penis. The cavernous artery appears to be very important for erection, with the dorsal artery playing a relatively smaller role. Surgically, however, both vessels may lend themselves to vascular shunts in the treatment of vasculogenic impotence.