Evaluation of the first 70 patients in the center for male sexual dysfunction of Beth Israel Medical Center

Abstract

We evaluated 70 patients for male sexual dysfunction in our center during its first 6 months of operation. The results of the analysis demonstrated that 55 per cent had organic impairment. Several important findings should be emphasized. There was mild elevation of serum prolactin in 6 cases, none of which was the direct cause of the impotence. A total of 15 patients had a diagnosis of either impaired glucose tolerance or overt diabetes (7 with organic and 8 with psychogenic disease). Therefore, the diagnosis of diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, whether known previously or not, should not be accepted as confirming the organicity of impotence. Also, nocturnal penile tumescence alone confirmed the diagnosis of psychogenic impotence only when a rigid erection 5 minutes in duration occurred. The absence of nocturnal erections cannot be interpreted as conclusive evidence of organic impotence. Finally, a definitive diagnosis of psychogenic impotence was made based only on visual sexual stimulation in 6 patients. Our results emphasize further that etiologic factors of organic or psychogenic impotence are complex and that a multidisciplinary approach should be used.