Penile Doppler in Huntsville, AL

What is a Penile Doppler?

A penile doppler is a routine ultrasound procedure used to analyze blood flow to the penis.

The penile doppler is most commonly used to give better insight into erectile dysfunction (ED) and your response to vasodilation medication that enhances blood flow to the penis. A penile doppler can also allow your provider to determine if you have an inflow or outflow type of ED.

The board-certified urologists at Urology Specialists, PC are expertly trained in using penile doppler to diagnose a number of men’s health concerns. Call (256) 882-3605 to request an appointment at our men’s health clinic in Huntsville, AL.

What is Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction is an ongoing inability to achieve, maintain, or both achieve and maintain a penile erection sufficient to engage in satisfactory sexual activity. For patients with ED, the main role of penile doppler imaging is to differentiate between vascular and nonvascular causes.

According to the American Journal of Roentgenology, the cause of ED for 75 percent is the imbalance of the penile blood inflow/outflow and nerve dysfunctions. A penile doppler can help give you insight to the cause of your ED.

ED is a common medical disorder that:

• primarily affects men older than 40 years old
• is strongly related to age
• has a high prevalence, estimated to affect approximately half of men between 40 and 70 years old

ED may have a significant impact on quality of life and imaging is a step in getting you the answers you deserve.

Why Do Urologists Use a Penile Doppler?

A penile doppler:

• Helps assess the anatomy
• Gives insight to blood flow
• It is highly available
• The imaging is minimally invasive
• It is cost effective
• The imaging is well tolerated by the patient

If you come to get help for ED, a provider may prescribe vasodilator drugs. However, a penile doppler can help us determine if this would be effective. The medication may not be able to dilate the arteries feeding the erectile bodies. It would be wasteful and inconvenient to you to try all these therapies if a penile doppler could predict their failure up front.

How is a Penile Doppler Performed?

• First, you should refrain from taking any erection medication prior to imaging
• The imaging procedure is performed while you are lying on your back on the examining room table
• After a visit with your provider, a medicine is injected into the penis with a tiny needle to help induce an erection within minutes
• This medicine will help to relax the erectile muscles in your penis, dilate your penile arteries, and result in an increase in the blood flow to your penis and give you an erection
• Most men say the injection feels like a small insect bite sensation
• Your provider will assess the erection and perform the imaging
• An ultrasound wand is then used to determine how much blood is flowing through the penis and through each artery
• The veins are also analyzed during the test
• The nerves of the penis are also observed
• Your provider will discuss the findings and talk you through the images on the screen
• If the erection lasts beyond the completion of the test, you may require injection a small amount of adrenalin to prevent a prolonged erection
• You are released by your provider and asked to refrain from any sexual activity for the rest of the day

Effectiveness of a Penile Doppler

A penile doppler is very effective, because the penis is an organ that is composed of many different types of soft-tissue structures.

It is also a highly vascular organ, making it very straightforward when performing imaging tests.

Possible Side-Effects of a Penile Doppler

Before the imaging, you and your provider may discuss any concerns or potential side effects to determine if a penile doppler is right for you.

Some risks of a penile doppler may include:

• A painful injection
• Small area of bruising at injection site
• Feeling lightheaded after procedure
• Prolonged erection

Other Conditions Analyzed by a Penile Doppler

A penile doppler is a very effective diagnostic tool for ED. In fact, a penile doppler can also give insight to other conditions or diseases that you may not be aware of.

For example, the survival rate of cancer patients after pelvic surgery for prostate, bladder, or rectal cancer has improved and so penile doppler can help those men who may struggle with ED as a cancer survivor.

A penile doppler in connection with ED can also act as a potential warning sign of cardiovascular disease, as ED is a common symptom of those who develop the disease. This imaging may also help with silent coronary artery disease (CAD) in men with ED as it is one of the earliest manifestations of symptoms related to this disease.