Venous leaks: anatomical and physiological observations

Abstract

A total of 50 patients with impotence underwent cavernosometry and cavernosography with intracavernous injection of vasoactive drugs. Several hemodynamic parameters were analyzed, including the pressure response curve after injection of vasoactive drugs and infusion of saline, the volume required to achieve erection, venous outflow resistance, erection maintenance infusion rate, rate of pressure decrease after discontinuation of infusion and post-infusion steady state pressure. On the basis of cavernosometric findings, venous leakage was ruled out in 4 patients. In the remaining 46 patients leak sites visualized during cavernosography included superficial dorsal vein in 1 (2.2%), deep dorsal vein in all 46 (100%), cavernous veins in 32 (69.6%), glans in 19 (41.3%) and corpus spongiosum in 14 (30.4%). Aberrant veins were documented in 7 patients (15.2%) communicating with the saphenous vein in 4 (8.9%), scrotal veins in 2 (4.4%) and femoral veins in 1 (2.2%). Eight patients (17.4%) had leakage through the deep dorsal vein as the only venous site, 17 (36.9%) had leakage through 2 venous sites, 14 (30.4%) had leakage through 3 venous sites and 7 (15.2%) had leakage through 4 venous sites. Correlations among hemodynamic and radiographic observations allowed the identification of 4 different types of cavernosometric findings. While type I represented normal penile vascular findings, types III and IV represented venous leakage. Type II could represent no leak, a mild leak or an undetected arterial problem. Accuracy of interpretation of a study may be improved by taking more than 1 parameter into consideration, including erection maintenance infusion rate, intracavernous pressure decrease within the first 5 seconds after discontinuation of infusion and the final steady state intracavernous pressure. The majority of patients have more than 1 leak site (82.6%). The most commonly combined sites of leakage are the deep dorsal and cavernous veins.