Abstract
Electromyography (EMG) of the corpora cavernosa (CC-EMG) is able to record the activity of the erectile tissue during erection, and thus has been used as a diagnostic technique in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). The present study examines the usefulness of the technique in the diagnosis of arterial ED. A cross-sectional study was made of 35 males with a mean age of 48.5 years (s.d. 11.34), referred to our center with ED for >1 year. The patients were subjected to CC-EMG and a penile Doppler ultrasound study following the injection of 20 μg of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). The patients were divided into three groups according to their response to the intracavernous injection of PGE1: Group 1 (adequate erection and reduction/suppression of EMG activity); Group 2 (insufficient erection and persistence of EMG activity); and Group 3 (insufficient erection and reduction/suppression of EMG activity). Patient classification according to response to the intracavernous injection of PGE1 was as follows: Group 1: six patients (17%), Group 2: 18 patients (51%), and Group 3: 11 patients (31%). Patients diagnosed with arterial insufficiency according to Doppler ultrasound (systolic arterial peak velocity <30 mm s−1 in both arteries) were significantly older than those without such damage (54.5 versus 41.8 years, respectively; s.d. 11.12). The patients in Group 3 showed a significantly lower maximum systolic velocity in both arteries than the subjects belonging to Group 2. Likewise, a statistically significant relationship was observed between the diagnosis of arterial insufficiency and patient classification in Group 3. The confirmation of insufficient erection associated with reduction/suppression of EMG activity showed a sensitivity of 66.7% (confidence interval between 50 and 84%) and a specificity of 92.9% (confidence interval between 84 and 100%) in the diagnosis of arterial ED. Owing to the high specificity of CC-EMG response to the injection of PGE1, this test is considered useful as a screening technique in the diagnosis of arterial ED.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 8 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $32.38 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hwang TIS, Liu PZ, Yang CR . Evaluation of penile dorsal arteries and deep arteries in arteriogenic impotence. J Urol 1991; 141: 46–49.
Wespes E . Diagnosis and treatment of venous impotente. Curr Opin Urol 1991; 1: 140–143.
Meuleman EJH . Investigations in erectile dysfunction. Curr Opin Urol 2003; 13: 411–416.
Ghanem H, Shamloul R . An evidence-based perspective to commonly performed erectile dysfunction investigations. J Sex Med 2008; 5: 1582–1589.
Azadzoi KM . Vasculogenic erectile dysfunction: beyond the haemodynamic changes. BJU Int 2006; 97: 11–16.
Vardi Y, Gruenwald I, Sprecher E . The role of corpus cavernosum electromyography. Curr Opin Urol 2000; 10: 635–638.
Truss MC, Djamilian MH, Tan HK, Hinrichs H, Feistner H, Stief CG et al. 1 Single potential analysis of cavernous electrical activity. Four years experience in more than patients 500 with erectile dysfunction. Eur Urol 1993; 24: 358–365.
Merckx L, Schmedding E, De Bruyne R, Stief C, Keuppens F . Penile electromyography in the diagnosis of impotence. Eur Urol 1994; 25: 124–130.
Rhoden EL, Telöken C, Sogari PR, Vargas Souto C . The use of the simplified International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool to study the prevalence of erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 2002; 14: 245–250.
Goldstein I, Lue TF, Padma-Nathan H, Rosen RC, Steers WD, Wicker PA . Oral sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil Study Group. N Engl J Med 1998; 338: 1397–1404.
Kayigil O, Metin A . Relaxation degree: a new concept in erectile dysfunction. Int Urol Nephrol 2001; 33: 391–394.
Herbaut AG, Wespes E . The role of electrophysiological evaluation on erectile dysfunction. Curr Opin Urol 1997; 7: 364–366.
Stief C, Djamilian M, Anton P, de Riese W, Allhoff E, Jonas U . Single potential analysis of cavernous electrical activity in impotent patients: a possible diagnostic method for autonomic cavernous dysfunction and cavernous smooth muscle degeneration. J Urol 1991; 146: 771–776.
Stief C, Kellner B, Hartung C, hauck S, Schlote N, Truss M et al. Computer-assisted evaluation of smooth muscle electromyogram of the corpora cavernosa by fast Fourier transformation. Eur Urol 1997; 31: 329–334.
Gorek M, Stief CG, Hartug C, Jonas U . Computer-assisted interpretation of electromyograms of corpora cavernosa using fuzzy logic. World J Urol 1997; 15: 65–70.
Stief C, Djamilian M, Truss M, Tan H, Thon W, Jonas U . Prognostic factors for the postoperative outcome of penile venous surgery for venogenic erectile dysfunction. J Urol 1994; 151: 880–883.
Çolakoglu Z, Kutluay E, Ertekin C, Altay B, Killi K, Alkis A . Autonomic nerve involvement and venous leakage in diabetic men with impotence. BJU Int 1999; 83: 453–456.
Kayigil Ö, Atahan Ö, Metin A . Electrical activity of the corpus cavernosum in patients with corporal veno-occlusive dysfunction. Br J Urol 77; 1996: 261–265.
Ataham Ö, Kayigil Ö, Metin A . Electrical activity of corpus cavernosum in vasculogenic and non vasculogenic erectile dysfunction. Scand J Urol Nephrol 1997; 31: 549–554.
Eardley I . Imaging for erectile dysfunction. Curr Opin Urol 2002; 12: 143–147.
Schwartz A . Radiographic diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction. Curr Opin Urol 1992; 2: 102–112.
Nisén HO, Edgren J, Ruutu ML, Saarinen O, Alfthan O . Duplex Doppler scanning with high-dose prostaglandin E1 stimulation in the diagnosis of arteriogenic impotence. Eur Urol 1993; 24: 36–42. PubMed PMID: 8365437.
Cordero A, Bertomeu-Martínez V, Mazón P, Fácila L, Bertomeu-González V, Conthe P et al. Erectile dysfunction in high-risk hypertensive patients treated with beta-blockade agents. Cardiovasc Ther 2010; 28: 15–22.
Corona G, Ricca V, Bandini E, Mannucci E, Lotti F, Boddi V et al. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-induced sexual dysfunction. J Sex Med 2009; 6: 1259–1269.
Gur S, Sikka SC, Chandra S, Koka PS, Agrawal KC, Kadowitz PJ et al. Alfuzosin attenuates erectile dysfunction in rats with partial bladder outlet obstruction. BJU Int 2008; 102: 1651–1657.
Mulhall JP, Abdel-Moneim A, Abobakr R, Goldstein I . Improving the accuracy of vascular testing in impotent men: correcting hemodynamic alterations using a vasoactive medication re-dosing schedule. J Urol 2001; 166: 923–926.
Moncada I, Allona A, Góme Z, Sáenz de Tejada I, Salinas J, Vírseda M . Concordance between corpus cavernosum electromyography and neurophysiological data of patients with erectile dysfunction. Int J Imp Res 2003; 15 (Suppl 6): S6–S9.
Salinas J, Vírseda M, Saénz de Tejada I, Allona A, Ramírez C, Litton M . Nuevas aportaciones de la utilidad de la electromiografía de los cuerpos cavernosos en el diagnóstico de la disfunción eréctil. Arch Esp Urol 2003; 56: 61–68.
Jaeschke R, Guyatt GH, Sackett DI . User's guide to medical literature. VI. How to use an article about a diagnostic test. B. What are the results and will they help me in caring for my patients? JAMA 1994; 271: 703–707.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Virseda-Chamorro, M., Lopez-Garcia-Moreno, A., Salinas-Casado, J. et al. Usefulness of electromyography of the cavernous corpora (CC EMG) in the diagnosis of arterial erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 24, 165–169 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijir.2012.10
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijir.2012.10
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Cavernous smooth muscles: innovative potential therapies are promising for an unrevealed clinical diagnosis
International Urology and Nephrology (2020)
-
Sexual dysfunction in men with spinal cord injury: a case–control study
International Journal of Impotence Research (2013)