A man with a complete spinal cord injury may be able to have an erection. Chapelle et al classified the different types of erections seen in these patients. The authors are from Hopital Poincare in Garches, France.
Patient selection: complete spinal cord injury following return of reflexes
Types of erections:
(1) reflexogenic: produced by sublesional stimulation
(2) psychogenic: produced by psychic stimulation of the libido (memories, visual, auditory, other)
(3) mixed, with features of reflexogenic and psychogenic erections
Type of Erection
Level of Spinal Cord Injury
Features of the Erection
Ability for Intromission
reflexogenic
above T10 to T12
CC and CS involved
yes but erection may be brief
reflexogenic
below T10 to T12, not involving conus medullaris
CC usually with CS
probably but erection may be brief
psychogenic
involving conus medullaris
swelling and lengthening without rigidity
probably not, can ejaculate
mixed
T12 to S2, involving conus medullaris
CC with poor rigidity
probably not
where:
• CC = corpora cavernosum
• CS = corpus spongiosum
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