Method and apparatus for treating impotence

Abstract

A method for the treatment of impotence in a human male patient includes the steps of (1) selecting a penile vein or a crus of a corpus cavernosum; and (2) implanting in the patient a vascular occlusion device that allows the selective restriction of the flow of blood from the selected vein or crus when erectile function is desired, normal flow being otherwise maintained. A preferred embodiment of the vascular occlusion device comprises an inflatable cuff adapted to receive the vein or crus, a squeeze-bulb reservoir containing a working fluid, and a valving mechanism that allows fluid to flow from the squeeze bulb to the cuff, through a tube, when the bulb is squeezed, thereby inflating the cuff to restrict blood flow through the vein or crus. To deflate the cuff, the valving mechanism is manually operable to allow fluid to flow out of the cuff back into the reservoir due to the pressure gradient created by the partial evacuation of the previously-squeezed bulb. A drainage channel is provided in the valving mechanism to provide automatic and gradual cuff deflation over a selected time interval. Alternative embodiments of the invention include the surgical creation of an arteriovenous anastamosis that is received in a second cuff operated in a complementary manner with the first cuff, and the provision of a drug delivery adaptor that delivers a measured dose of a drug to the penile tissue in response to the squeezing of the bulb.