Priapism can usually be diagnosed by your doctor examining your penis and asking a number of questions about your symptoms and medical history.
For example, they may ask:
- whether your penis is painful
- about the length of time that your penis has been erect
- whether you have a known blood disorder, such as sickle cell anaemia
- whether you are taking a medication that can cause priapism as a side effect, such as sildenafil (sold under the brand name Viagra)
- whether you have recently injured your penis or the surrounding area
- whether you have recently taken recreational drugs, such as cocaine or ecstasy
Blood tests
To help determine the cause of your priapism, you may be given a series of blood tests. These can help to detect any underlying problems with your blood, such as anaemia (low levels of red blood cells), or unusually high numbers of white blood cells, which could be a sign of leukaemia.
In addition, blood tests will be able to measure the levels of various gases in your blood, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. Unusually low levels of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide would strongly suggest a diagnosis of ischaemic priapism.
If a diagnosis of non-ischaemic priapism associated with injury is suspected, you may be referred for a number of imaging studies, such as an ultrasound scan, where sound waves are used to build up a picture of the inside of your body. This type of scan can often detect abnormalities with the blood vessels in the penis.
