The penis is composed of three chambers, the paired corpra cavernosa and the corpus spongiosum. The corpus cavernosum is the erectile body responsible for providing rigidity to the penis. When a man is aroused a signal from the brain travels down the spinal cord and along the pelvic nerves to the penis. Chemical signals from the nerves cause the arteries to enlarge and allow increased blood flow into the penis. For all of these coordinated events to occur, a sufficient amount of the male hormone testosterone must be present.
Pharmacological treatment involves delivering medication which can help restore erections.
There are several different types of medication and ways of administering them. In general, medical therapy is the most appealing form of treatment and can be highly successful. The penis is placed in a vacuum tube and the air is pumped out. This creates negative pressure and allows blood to flow into the penis. Once the penis becomes erect, a rubber ring is placed around the base of the penis to prevent the blood from leaving.