title: Design and application of a new rat-specific vacuum erectile device for penile rehabilitation research.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Radical prostatectomy has a potential negative impact on penile health. The vacuum erection device (VED) has been used to promote the recovery of penile function and to maintain penile length. However, there is skepticism in the urological community due to its elusive mechanisms in penile rehabilitation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To design a rat-specific VED and assess its application and safety.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on rat penile measurement and the principle of human VED, the rat-specific VED was designed, and the application for rats was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The vacuum pressure of the rat-specific VED was measured. The VED application on rat penis and its side effects were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rat-specific VED is a safe and applicable device to study the mechanism of VED in penile rehabilitation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The newly designed rat-specific VED is a good simulator of the human VED. The application of this device on bilateral cavernous nerve crush rat model will be used to study the mechanisms of the VED in the penile rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and MD Anderson Cancer Center-Division of Urology, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Jiuhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: O Lenaine
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Westney
authors.forename: Run
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014572:Urology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014618:Vacuum