Diagnostic value of radionuclide phallography with intravenous vasodilator stress in the evaluation of arteriogenic impotence.

Arteriogenic impotence is a major cause of organic erectile dysfunction. We evaluated the diagnostic value of quantitative radionuclide phallography with intravenous pharmacological stress in screening impotent patients for penile arterial inadequacy. Using technetium-99m labelled autologous erythrocytes, dynamic scintigraphy of the penile blood pool was performed. Penile haemodynamic changes following intravenous injection of the vasodilator isoxsuprine hydrochloride were assessed by quantitation of penile blood flow and volume. Forty-seven impotent patients (11 psychogenic, 24 arteriogenic, 10 venogenic, 2 endocrine) were studied. Arteriogenic impotent patients demonstrated a lesser degree of increase in penile blood flow and volume than impotent patients with uncompromised penile arterial inflow. Quantitation of penile blood flow and volume yielded a high diagnostic accuracy (> 90%). Radionuclide phallography with intravenous vasodilator stress forms a simple and accurate method for evaluating the functional integrity of penile arterial inflow.