Courses of Arginine-Vasopressin in the Systemic and Cavernous Blood through Different Stages of Sexual Arousal in Healthy Males and Patients with Erectile Dysfunction

Table 2

Plasma levels of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) in peripheral and cavernosal blood samples taken from patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) during different conditions of sexual arousal, exemplified by the penile conditions flaccidity, tumescence and detumescence.

Penile condition	Blood source	Blood withdrawals commenced	AVP (ng/l plasma)
Flaccidity	CV	32	2.5 ± 2.9
	CC	32	2.0 ± 2.0
Tumescence	CV	35	2.8 ± 4.2
	CC	35	2.5 ± 3.1
Detumescence	CV	29	2.2 ± 1.9
	CC	29	3.0 ± 3.4

Asterisk () indicates that the concentration is significantly different from those measured in the systemic blood. CC: corpus cavernosum; CV: cubital vein.