Comparison of nocturnal penile tumescence monitoring and cavernosal smooth muscle content in patients with erectile dysfunction.
OBJECTIVE
Nocturnal penile tumescence monitoring was compared to cavernosal smooth muscle content in 48 cases of erectile dysfunction.


METHODS
Pre-operatively nocturnal penile tumescence rigidity (NPTR) testing, colour Doppler sonography and if needed pharmaco cavernosometry-cavernosography were evaluated in 48 impotent patients before surgical intervention. The 40 patients whom all those diagnostic tools were abnormal constituted the first group. In the remaining 8 patients, which constitutes the second group, NPTR testing were normal but the other tests were abnormal. 10 potent patients with congenital penile curvature constituted the third group. Cavernous biopsies were obtained during the surgery and biopsies stained immunohistochemically to quantify smooth muscle cells (SMC) by anti-desmin and anti-SMA.


RESULTS
We observed statistical significant difference of corporeal SMC content with regard to first Vs second group and first Vs third group (p < 0.05). However we did not observe statistically significant difference with regard to second vs third group (p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
NPTR testing appears to correlate well with corporeal SMC, which is the key structures of erection. We think that with taking into the consideration of its specific reservations, NPTR testing is still one of the best non-invasive tool in the differential diagnosis of erectile dysfunction.
Yilmaz
Erdal
E
Urology Department, School of Medicine, University of Kirikkale, Turkey. erdaly69@hotmail.com
Yaman
Onder
O
Bozlu
Murat
M
Inal
Tansel
T
Tokatli
Zafer
Z
Anafarta
Kadri
K
D000328:Adult; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010410:Penile Erection