Nuclear medical assessment of penile hemodynamics following revascularization surgery

Variations of Hauri’s penile revascularization have been in clinical use since 1983. The hemodynamics of the so-called three-vessel anastomosis remain uncertain despite successful, clinically reproducible results. The goal of this study was to depict the increased perfusion of the erectile system of the penis following revascularization by means of the inferior epigastric artery. Ten mil-liliters of heparinized peripheral venous blood was drawn from 10 patients prior to surgery. The radioactively tagged erythrocytes (1 mCi ⁹⁹mTc) were reinjected via an additional incision in the donor vessel proximal to the anastomosis following completion of the three-vessel anastomosis and intracaver-nous injection of 20 μg PGE₁ Once again, blood was drawn during the tumescence phase from both a peripheral vein and the corpora cavernosa within the normal circulatory duration and compared to the original specimen. Eight of ten patients displayed evidence of primary reperfusion of the corpora cavernosa via the inferior epigastric artery as the donor vessel. Using strict indications, revascularization of the penis is an effective mode of therapy for arterial erectile dysfunction.