RESUMO
A simple method of differentiating organic from psychogenic impotence is important if appropriate therapy is to be offered. Prostatic massage under light anaesthesia was consistently found to produce penile tumescence in ten controls. Tumescence usually started within one minute of the onset of prostatic massage, and progressed to a stage adequate for penetration within three minutes. The penile erection was maintained at least until the patient reached the recovery room. Eleven patients being investigated for impotence were subjected to the procedure in conjunction with hormonal and blood flow studies. All patients had nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) stamp tests and two of those who failed this and the anaesthesia penile tumescence (APT) test, had nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) strain gauge tests in the U.S.A. Seven patients had good APT results, two fair and two poor. The four patients who had fair and poor results also failed the NPT stamp tests and the NPT strain gauge test where this was done. APT testing therefore correlates well with the accepted standard NPT test, requires no special expensive equipment and allows polaroid documentation of rigidity instead of increase in circumference as in the NPT test. Polaroid documentation also allows patients to realise their potential and facilitates treatment of psychogenic impotence (AU)
