Penile Ultrasound Recommended for Young ED Patients

ORLANDO - Erectile dysfunction (ED) in younger men often is presumed to be psychogenic in nature, but new findings presented at the American Urological Association 2014 annual meeting suggest that a significant proportion these men have anatomic abnormalities in vasculature contributing to the condition.

Blake Wynia, MD, and colleagues at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York, retrospectively reviewed 120 consecutive men aged 18-35 years who were evaluated for ED. All were offered penile Doppler ultrasound examination, but it was performed on only 32 (26.7%) men with a mean age of 30.5 years. Of these, 15 (46.9%) had a significant anatomic abnormalities, including absent or hypoplastic cavernosal arteries on 1 or both sides.

These findings support increased use of penile Doppler in young men with ED, many of whom have vascular abnormalities that are currently being undiagnosed, the researchers conclude in their study abstract.

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