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Association Between Erectile Dysfunction and Coronary Artery Disease: A Case Report Study

Montorsi P, Ravagnani PM, Galli S, Briganti, A, Salonia A, Dehò F, Schulman C, Montorsi F ; J Sex Med 2005; 2: 575-582

KEY WORDS: Examination; Epidemiology; Diagnostic Testing

A high prevalence of Erectile Disfunction (ED) has been reported in conjunction with common vascular abnormalities, including Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). The authors recently proposed a pathophysiological mechanism called the "artery size" hypothesis, to explain the link between ED and CAD.

• There are three main clinical scenarios in which ED and CAD may coexist: the patient with ED who later develops CAD, the patient with overt CAD who is casually found to have ED, and the patient with acute coronary syndrome who has normal sexual function.The study presents three cases and discusses a "putative" pathophysiological mechanism underlying all these clinical presentations.
• Although available clinical data appear to support the "artery size" hypothesis, exceptions may be found in the every day clinical practice.
• Each presented case well fits the pathophysiological mechanism of the cited hypothesis, but larger studies investigating both anatomical and functional status of cavernous and coronary circulations are required to confirm results of this case report study.

See the abstract

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2005.00084.x