Physiology of penile erection and pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction.
This article reviews the physiology of penile erection, the components of erectile function, and the pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction. The molecular and clinical under-standing of erectile function continues to gain ground at a particularly fast rate. Advances in gene discovery have aided greatly in working knowledge of smooth muscle relaxation/contraction pathways. The understanding of the nitric oxide pathway has aided not only in the molecular understanding of the tumescence but also greatly in the therapy of erectile dysfunction.
Dean
Robert C
RC
Department of Urology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94143-0738, USA.
Lue
Tom F
TF
D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000502:physiology; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000502:physiology*; D010413:Penis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology