title: Development of a mathematical model for the prediction of the area of venous leak.
abstract: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an increasingly prevalent medical problem, affecting up to 50% of men aged between 40 and 70-y-old. Many cases are vasculogenic and some of these stem from the inability of the penis to store blood during erection due to leak into the venous system, termed corporo-venocclusive dysfunction (CVOD). The area of leakage during erection could be the most direct measure of erectile function but has not been investigated before. We have developed a simple mathematical model to determine the area of leak during erection and have tested it on data from both normal men (n=3) and men with venogenic impotence (n=16) undergoing dynamic infusion cavernosometry (DIC). The area of leak in the impotent group is significantly greater than in normal men at intracorporal pressures above 30 mmHg and reaches a plateau between 60 and 90 mmHg. Based on this study, we suggest that it may be necessary only to perform DIC at intracorporal pressures between 60 and 90 mmHg.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Loyola University Medical Center and Research Service, Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Maywood, IL 60153, USA. jmulhal@luc.edu
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mulhall
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Damaser
mesh_terms: D002199:Capillary Permeability; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D010413:Penis / Q000098:blood supply*; D011312:Pressure; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D014572:Urology / Q000379:methods; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D014680:Veins / Q000378:metabolism