Tests For Erection Problems: What To Think About

Content provided by Healthwise

What To Think About

• Your doctor may do a digital rectal examination to check your prostate gland. For more information, see the medical test Digital Rectal Examination (DRE).
• Doppler ultrasound may not be widely available. For more information, see the medical test Doppler Ultrasound.
• Occasional erection problems are normal. If you are usually able to have and maintain a full erection, tests are usually not needed. Your erection problem may be from stress or anxiety or relationship problems.
• Psychological tests may be recommended if no physical cause is found for your erection problem. You may want to see a counselor who specializes in sexual problems.
• An angiogram may be recommended if initial tests cannot find a cause for your erection problems. An angiogram is an X-ray test that takes pictures of the blood flow in an artery. For more information, see the medical test Angiogram. Experts are not sure how useful the angiogram test is because treatment to repair the blood vessels of the penis will be a choice for only a few men with this specific problem.
• Dorsal nerve conduction test, evoked potential studies, and penile biothesiometry are extensive neurologic tests to check the nerve supply to the penis. These nervous system tests are not generally done or are not widely available.

Last updated:	May 21, 2008
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Christopher G. Wood, MD, FACS - Urology/Oncology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Tracy Landauer