title: Outcomes of crural ligation surgery for isolated crural venous leak.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Venous ligation surgery results for diffuse venous leak have been disappointing, although in isolated crural venous leak (ICVL) cases, efficacy for crural ligation surgery (CLS) has been demonstrated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to present our experience with treatment of ICVL with CLS.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients underwent preoperative cavernosometry. Cavernosography (CG) or perineal compression (PC) was used to define the diagnosis of ICVL. If CG demonstrated ICVL or flow-to-maintain values normalized with PC, the patient was counseled regarding CLS. Baseline and postoperative erectile function (EF) was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  EF, using the EF domain (EFD) score of the IIEF, a domain with six questions with a maximum score of 30 and a minimum score of 6 in the sexually active male. All patients completed the questionnaire preoperatively and in a serial fashion after surgery at a time point after 12 months postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  14 patients underwent CLS. Mean age was 29 ± 7 years. Also, 64% had primary erectile dysfunction. Mean baseline IIEF-EF score was 18 ± 6. Furthermore, 71% of patients had failed phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors and 6/10 (60%) failed intracavernosal injections (ICI). Mean postoperative EFD score was 24 ± 3 representing a mean change of 6.5 points per patient. No patient needed ICI after CLS; however, 4/14 patients needed PDE5 inhibitors, all of whom had been using ICI preoperatively. In addition, 71% experienced unassisted sexual intercourse after CLS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a highly selected population of young men with ICVL, CLS cures 70% and improves EF in more than 90% of men. Surgical treatment of ICVL by CLS can be performed safely and with sufficient efficacy that larger and longer term studies should be undertaken.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: Raanan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tal
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mulhall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D018783:Impotence, Vasculogenic / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007989:Libido; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D009948:Orgasm; D010410:Penile Erection; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome