Recently, compensatory impotence has increased with the development of industry, the rise in vehicles, the sexual revolution, the secured legal and insurance services. Compensatory impotence is a medicolegal term for the male erectile dysfunction
that
requires a doctor's medical certificate and opinion are regarding legal responsibility, reparation or compensation rather than primary medical care of the diagnosis and treatment by the patient or his procurator. We studied 69 cases of
compensatory
impotence (mean age 38.1, range 24-58) at the Department of Urology, Pusan National University Hospital from Janluary 1987 to December 1995. The marital status were married, separated, single and divorced in 37 (53.6%), 14 (20.3%), 13 (18.8%) and
5
(7.3%) cases, respectively. Opinions as to cause of impotence were sought from medical document of university hospital 34 (49.3%), legal documents required from the court 25 (36.2%) and industrial accident insurance documents 10 (14.5%). Trauma
constiuted 47 cases (68.1%) while 22 (31.9%) had no history of trauma. With trauma, spinal cord injury was the most common cause of impotence in 18 ases (38.3%), followed by urethral injury in 14 (29.8%), and pensoscrotal injury, hedad trauma,
pelvic
bone fracture, edlectirical burn and bladder rupture in 5 poredominant cause in trauma group and psychogenic is highest in nontrauma group. Of 34 cases who the impotence therapy was recommended, 14 (41.2%) were accepted.
In conclusion, for the evaluation and management of the compensatory impotence with complex issue of legal, financial and social sapectis, physician's objective mentdal attitude and the accurate medical survey with the legal comprehensions are
primarily
important. Additionally, common crditeria for compensation should be established by the cooperative expertise of dexperts in the fields of medicine, law and insurance.
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