Abstract
This preliminary study prospectively assessed the use, effectiveness, and sexual impact of intracavernous injection of papaverine and phentolamine in 26 impotent diabetic and 67 impotent nondiabetic patients. Results documented treatment effectiveness in diabetic men, who regularly injected themselves with a reasonable success rate, and who experienced improved erections, higher frequency of intercourse, and increased sexual satisfaction. No differences were noted in treatment use or efficacy between diabetic and nondiabetic patients. Insulin users and diabetic men without vascular impairment needed lower doses of medication. Men with vascular impairment obtained poorer-quality injection-induced erections. Insulin dependence was associated with higher patient dropout and increased discomfort early in treatment. These findings tentatively suggest that treatment use and effectiveness may be enhanced by beginning with slightly higher initial trial dose injections in vascularly impaired diabetic men and by careful treatment presentation and follow-up with insulin-dependent diabetic men.