Potentiation of drug-induced erection with audiovisual sexual stimulation.

Twenty-five patients underwent audiovisual sexual stimulation (AVSS) after pharmacologically-induced erection. Grade of erection and cavernosal blood flow were assessed after intracorporeal (IC) injection of TRI-MIX or prostaglandin E1, and then after AVSS, using pulsed Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS). After IC injection, 5 patients had a Grade II erection, 8 had Grade III, 10 had Grade IV, and 2 had Grade V. There was an increase in peak arterial flow and arterial diameter which corresponded with the grade of erection obtained. After addition of AVSS, 56.5 percent of patients experienced improved erection. The improvement from Grade III to IV in 13 percent is especially significant because it showed the attainment of adequate erection when IC injection alone failed. Penile blood flow improved among AVSS responders but not in nonresponders. AVSS may enhance pharmacologically-induced erection and may improve the diagnostic accuracy of PDUS.