[Trial of intracavernous papaverine in the treatment of impotence. Therapeutic prospects].

The injection of 80 mg of Papaverine into one of the corpora cavernosa of the penis produces an erectile response which is proportional to the local haemodynamic conditions. On the basis of this test, the investigation of penile rigidity coupled with Doppler velocity studies permit cases of impotence due to vascular disease to be differentiated from other abnormalities of erection. The intensity of the response is proportional to the quality of the local vascular reaction. The intense vaso-dilatation of the cavernous arteries leads the author to propose the use of this drug and this route of administration in the treatment of certain cases of poor erection due to arterial disease.