How is Erectile Dysfunction Diagnosed?

Following questions will be answered by the doctor during patient interviews.

  1. Is there ED or loss of libido or ejaculation disorder?
  2. Is Ed due to physical or psychological factors? There can be involuntary erection in healthy men. Psychological factors like anxiety or stress are involved Ed in men instead of physical factors. There can be no involuntary erections with physical factors like smoking, atherosclerosis and diabetes.
  3. Is there physical cause of ED? Smoking, strokes, heart attack and poor circulation can cause atherosclerosis leading to ED. There can be diabetic nerve damage with diminished penis sensation, bladder dysfunction and decreased sweetening. There can be low testosterone levels with lack of sexual fantasies, diminished facial hair and low sexual desire.
  4. Is there ED due to side effect of certain medications?

Physical examination

The physical causes of ED can be determined with physical examination. There can be problem in nervous system causing ED if penis is unable to respond to touching. There can be hormonal problems like hypogonadism in case of lack of facial hair, small testicles and enlarged breasts. You can find reduced blood flow due to atherosclerosis by finding reduced arterial pulses or listening for bruits with stethoscope. There can be ED with unusual penis characteristics like bending of penis with erection causing pain.

Laboratory tests

Ed can be evaluated with the help of following laboratory tests.

  • blood counts
  • there can be sign of kidney damage and diabetic mellitus with abnormal urinalysis tests.
  • There can be atherosclerosis with high LDL cholesterol levels found in the Lipid Profile test.
  • There can be sign of diabetic mellitus high glucose levels in the blood found in Blood Glucose levels.
  • Blood Hemoglobin A 1c test to find diabetic mellitus.
  • Serum Creatinine test to diabetic damage to the kidney.
  • Liver function and liver enzyme tests to find gonad dysfunction and hormonal imbalance.
  • Total testosterone level tests
  • Hormone level tests
  • PSA level tests
  • Other blood tests

Imaging tests

The bony abnormalities can be found with X-rays. The testicular size and structure can be found with the help of ultrasound penis and testicles. You can have additional information of blood flow in the penis with the help of ultrasound with Doppler imaging. Angiogram can also be used in case of vascular surgery.

Other tests

The penile blood flow can be determined with the help of prostaglandin E1 which is directly injected into covernosa with the help of which blood vessels dilation can be determined. It can also promote the blood flow in the penis. There can be normal or adequate blood flow in the penis with normal erection. You can be able to find the physical or psychological causes of the erectile dysfunction with the help of monitoring erection usually in the sleep. The penile nerve function can be determined with the help of direct vibrational stimulation.

Psychosocial examination

The psychological factors of the ED can be determined with the help of interview or questionnaire.