New developments in the diagnosis and treatment of impotence.

New developments in the diagnosis and treatment of impotence or erectile dysfunction are increasingly based on better understanding of the erectile process. In 1978 it was thought that the failure of arterial inflow was the main cause of male erectile dysfunction. Emphasis was placed on methods of corpus cavernosal revascularization. In recent years, interest has shifted to abnormal cavernosal smooth muscle function. An understanding of the erectile process was greatly enhanced by intracavernosal administration of vasoactive agents in 1982 and, more recently, the use of prostaglandin E1. These agents promote erection by causing smooth muscle to relax. The intracavernosal administration of vasoactive agents is now used in diagnosis and in therapy. Standard approaches to diagnosis and therapy still vary, but more rational steps are evolving. Considerable progress has been made in quantifying penile blood flow. Increasingly effective therapies are available for an estimated 10 million American men suffering from erectile dysfunction. Therapies include the use of drugs, administering vasoactive agents intracavernosally, vacuum constrictor devices, and vascular interventions in highly selected cases of arterial or venous disease. These procedures are being carefully reevaluated. Critical analysis of recent results suggests that about 7% of men are amendable to vascular interventions, with success rates approximating 70% when supplemental therapy is used.