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Previous Volume 342:1802-1813 June 15, 2000 Number 24 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Erectile dysfunction is defined as the inability to achieve and maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse.¹ It has been estimated to affect 20 million to 30 million men in the United States.^2,3 It may result from psychological, neurologic, hormonal, arterial, or cavernosal impairment or from a combination of these factors. In this article we provide a brief overview of the physiology of erection and the pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction, followed by a discussion of drug treatment for the disorder.

Physiology of Penile Erection

Penile erection is a neurovascular event modulated by psychological factors and hormonal status. On sexual stimulation, nerve impulses . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Neurophysiology of Penile Erection

Penile Flaccidity

Penile Erection

Pathophysiology of Erectile Dysfunction

Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction

Neurogenic Erectile Dysfunction

Hormonal Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

Vascular Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

Drug-Induced Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile Dysfunction Due to Other Systemic Diseases and Aging

Diagnosis of Erectile Dysfunction

Drug Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction

Androgens

Sildenafil

Adrenergic-Receptor Antagonists

            Yohimbine

            Phentolamine

Apomorphine

Trazodone

Transurethral Therapy

Intracavernous Therapy

            Papaverine

            Phentolamine

            Alprostadil

            Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide

            Drug Combinations

            Other Aspects of Intracavernous Injection Therapy

Transdermal Medications

Conclusions

Source Information

From the University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Lue at the Department of Urology, U-575, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0738, or at tlue@urol.ucsf.edu.

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