The brachial to penile pressure gradient can be used to assess the adequacy of penile perfusion.
Equipment and technique: see previous section (Penile-Brachial Index)
brachial to penile pressure gradient =
= (systolic pressure over the brachial artery in mm Hg) - (systolic pressure over the penile arteries in mm Hg)
where:
• The assumption is that blood flow in the brachial artery is normal.
• The systolic blood pressure in both brachial arteries should be compared.
Interpretation:
• The normal pressure gradient is 20 to 40 mm Hg.
• A gradient > 60 mm Hg suggests arterial insufficiency to the penis.
