PLASMA LEVELS OF ENDOTHELIN -1 AND NITRIC OXIDE IN MEN WITH ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Abstract

This study was carried out in Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Andrology,Assiut University Hospital and Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut, Egypt. 52 patients (15 psychogenic, l3 venogenic, 12 arteriogenic and 12 diabetogenic) complaining from erectile dysfunction were recruited into the study among the patients presented to the Andrology Outpatient Clinic between June 2000 and June 2001, along with 15 healthy male-age matched volunteers_.who are considered as controls. A written concent was obtained from all subjects after the purpose of the study had been explained to them. All the patients included in this study were subjected to history• taking clinical examination ,Routine investigations , Intracavemosal injection testing, Duplex Doppler ultrasonography , cavemosometry, cavemosonography.

It was shown that penile erection can occur in the presence of both sympathetic and parasympathetic blookers and this led to the search for non adrenergic-non cholinergic (NANC) neuro transmitters responsible for penile erection .Nitric Oxide and Endothelin-1 are the main (NANC) studied in the last decade.