[Basal Doppler ultrasonography of the penis. Standardization of the method]. / Ultrasonographie Doppler basale du pénis. Standardisation de la méthode.

The authors present their experience with 120 patients investigated for erection disorders. The clinical evaluation of this multidisciplinary approach includes endocrine assessment, neurological and vascular examination, which includes measurement of nocturnal erections (NPT test). From the vascular viewpoint, bilateral velocimetric curves of the dorsal, cavernous and bulbo urethral arteries are recorded in the basal state (six derivations) the PBPI (Penile Brachial Pressure Index) is then calculated. The group included 17 patients with vascular pathology, 94 with psychogenic pathology and 9 with mixed pathology. In the cases due to vascular pathology only 34.04% of penile arterial flow rates were within the normal range: out of the 6 measurements almost 4 were outside the normal range. A statistically significant difference was noted between the mean velocity data and the PBPI of the "psychogenic" and "vascular" patients. This examination enables the andrologist to take into account the state of vascularisation of the penis and to continue with new forms of examination (dynamic Doppler) which provide the most precise possible etiological diagnosis.

[Prognostic value of the equivalents of transitory myocardial ischemia evaluated by exercise thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy in an ambulatory population of 367 patients with a maximum 5-year follow-up]. / Valore prognostico degli equivalenti di ischemia miocardica transitoria rivelabili con la scintigrafia miocardia da sforzo con Tallio-201 in una popolazione ambulatoriale di 367 soggetti con una osservazione massima di 5 anni.

From 1-1-1981 to 3-31-1985, 367 subjects (227 males and 140 females) were examined by means of TL-201 myocardial scintigraphy for diagnostic purpose. A follow-up period, 5 years maximum, was run in order to assess the prognostic value of the three equivalents of transient myocardial ischemia which can be demonstrated by the test (angina, reversible hypoperfusion, and ST-T segment changes). The end points were myocardial infarction and/or sudden death. Three-hundred fifty-four patients complied (96%). During the observation period 9 severe ischemic events (SIE) occurred: 5 myocardial infarctions and 4 sudden deaths. As far as the predictivity of SIE is concerned, the "t" test for independent samples showed a statistically significant difference between the group of patients with no signs of ischemia and the group with positive scintiscan (p less than 0.05) and with the three equivalents of ischemia all together (p less than 0.05). Moreover, in the sub-group of patients with pathological scintigraphic results the probability for SIE to occur was statistically different in the patients with no hypoperfusion in the region supplied by the anterior descending coronary artery and in those with pathological scintigraphic findings in that region (p less than 0.05). In our opinion, the above data demonstrate the pathological signs noticeable with stress myocardial TL-201 scintiscan to have prognostic value.