Digital inflection rigidometry and penile dynamic colour doppler ultrasound: Analysis and correlations

Objectives. The aim of our study was to evaluate the correlation between penile dynamic colour doppler ultrasound parameters and digital inflection rigidometry values in patients suffering from erectile dysfunction. Materials and methods. 109 patients (mean age 48.7 ± 1.2, mean ± standard deviation) underwent a penile dynamic colour doppler ultrasound evaluation with a genitor-visual stimulation and the penile axial rigidity, in clinostatism and orthostatism, was evaluated by means of the UroAN21® rigidometer. Results. The rigidometer evaluations demonstrated a statistical significant difference between orthostatism and clinostatism in terms of intracarvernous pressure and rigidity. A statistical significant correlation between rigidity and intracarvernous pressure was found in clinostatism (r = 0.996; p <0.0001) and orthostatism (r = 0.998; p <0.0001). Penile rigidity was significative correlated with resistivity index at the penile dynamic colour doppler ultrasound (r = 0.246; p = 0.01). Conclusions. These preliminary results seem to suggest that penile axial rigidity significantly turns with the change of the patient's position and is related to the penile dynamic colour doppler ultrasound findings.