[Results of surgical therapy for venous insufficiency as a cause of erectile disorders]. / Ergenbnisse der operativen Therapie des venösen Lecks als Ursache von Erektionsstörungen.

Since penile vein ligation is usually associated with a poor postoperative outcome, a study was undertaken to evaluate possible prognostic factors for this procedure. A total of 44 patients with erectile dysfunction underwent ligation of all dorsal penile veins and resection of the deep dorsal penile vein for venous impotence. A comprehensive study of all patients was made. All patients did not respond to pharmacotherapy and had a venous leak. With a minimum follow-up period of 6 months, patients were categorized as follows: full spontaneous erections, those patients responding to pharmacotherapy and those showing no improvement. Out of 44 patients, 13 had full spontaneous erections postoperatively, 5 now responded to pharmacotherapy and 26 showed no improvement. The maintenance flow was 89 +/- 50 ml/min in the group with spontaneous erections and 85 +/- 49 ml/min in those showing no improvement (P = 0.78). Out of the 20 patients with normal single potential analysis of cavernous electric activity (SPACE), 12 had full erections postoperatively, 4 showed no improvement and 4 responded to pharmacotherapy. Of the 24 patients with abnormal SPACE, 1 developed full erections, 1 now responds to pharmacotherapy and 22 showed no improvement. Our results indicate that SPACE seems to be an important prognostic factor for the postoperative outcome of penile vein ligations for venous impotence.