Objectives: To examine the impact of intracavernosal therapy on libido, ejaculatory control, quality of life and treatment dependency in men with erectile failure. Furthermore to assess the drop-out rate and reasons for dissatisfaction with the technique. Subjects and methods: Questionnaires were sent to 1116 subjects with erectile failure who had previously elected to use intracavernosal therapy in the period 1995 ± 1997. Results: The response rate was 72.5%. The majority of erections lasted 30 ± 60 min, 10 ± 20% of the erections were considered unsatisfactory for intercourse and 15% of subjects reported erections lasting longer than 5 h on at least 10% of the occasions. Bleeding at the injection site occurred in 60% on at least 10% of the occasions and various degrees of deformation of the penis shaft were reported by 10%. The latter was related to the age of the subject and not the type of medication employed. Forty percent experienced at least partially improved control over ejaculation and almost 50% experienced some degree of increase in libido. One quarter retained penile rigidity after ejaculation but this was age-dependent. In those satis®ed with intracavernosal treatment, 80% admitted that it had improved the quality of their lives. Sixty percent did not feel that their dependency on intracavernosal treatment had lessened during the treatment period.Approximately 40% of subjects admitted to dropping out of the programme, the majority within the ®rst six months. The age of the subject did not in¯uence the decision and the type of medication or the mode of injection had only a minor impact on drop-out rate. Of those currently using IC therapy, 87% were either fully or partly satis®ed with this form of treatment. The corresponding ®gure for those discontinuing treatment was 58%. Dissatisfaction was higher in the younger age groups and could not be clearly related to the mode of injection. The major reasons for drop out or dissatisfaction were inadequate penile rigidity, the expense of the treatment, penile discomfort and the lack of spontaneity it necessitated. Penile discomfort was more associated with younger age groups, whilst an inadequate response to medication was more often experienced by men over 60 y. Deformation of the penile shaft was observed in 5% of those dissatis®ed with IC therapy and was four times more often reported by those over 70 compared to subjects younger than 40 y. In 6% of cases, a return of spontaneous erections was given as reason for drop-out. This was more often associated with younger subjects. In 16% of the subjects, the partner had expressed dissatisfaction with the technique primarily because of inadequate rigidity, lack of spontaneity or the complicated nature of the treatment.Conclusions:Intracavernosal treatment for erection failure is associated with side-effects such as penile ®brosis and bleeding at the injection site but has advantages including increased libido, an increase in the quality of life and ejaculatory control. Only a small proportion of men reduce thei...

Regional differences in the total activities of the epididymal secretory parameter, alpha-glucosidase, were demonstrated in the 20,000 g supernatants of human epididymal homogenates. A comparison of the enzymic activities in the supernatants and the washings from 12 one centimetre segments of human epididymides indicated an activity peak in segments 3-4 which appeared to be largely intracellular and which presumably reflects the acidic isoenzyme. A second peak in the caudal region, the segmental localization of which was more variable and differed in post-mortem and operation specimens, appeared to be primarily intraluminal. The activities of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the rate-limiting enzyme in the polyamine pathway, also exhibited regional differences with higher activities in relatively short segments in both caput and caudal portions. Corresponding alterations were also found in the tissue concentrations of the enzyme products, spermidine and spermine. The increased intracellular activities of ODC and alpha-glucosidase in the distal caput segments presumably reflect the transition of epithelium from the efferent to the epididymal ducts.