Korean J Androl.  2000 Apr;18(1):55-58.

Altered Contents of Smooth Muscle and Collagen in Corpus Cavernosum in Patients with Erectile Dysfunction

• Park HK
• Hong JH
• Park JY
• Ahn TY

Abstract

PURPOSE
Cavernosal smooth-muscle relaxation is essential for penile erection Reduction or dysfunction of the muscle fibers can be related to impaired relaxation of cavernosal smooth muscle. Our study was aimed at seeing the changes in penile smooth muscle and collagen tissue in patients with erectile dysfunction.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Twelve impotent patients (study group; mean age 56.3 years) and five penile cancer patients (control group; mean age 57.6 years) were included. The cause of the impotence was Peyronie's disease, diabetes, and unknown in four patients each. Cavernosal tissues were obtained at the time of penile prosthesis implantation and fixed immediately in 10% Formalin. After staining with Masson's trichrome, analysis of smooth muscle fibers was performed using ImagePro.
RESULTS
The smooth muscle ratio was 75.1+/-8.19% (SD) in the control group, 37.7+/-12.2 in Peyronie's disease, 37.1+/-18.4% in the patients with diabetes, and 52.2+/-10.6% in the group with no known underlying disease. There was a statistically significant difference in the smooth muscle ratio between the study and control group, but among the study groups, no significant difference was noted.
CONCLUSIONS
Altered content of smooth muscle may contribute to the pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction.

Keyword

Collagen; Corpus cavernosum; Erectile dysfunction; Penis

MeSH Terms

Collagen*
Erectile Dysfunction*
Formaldehyde
Humans
Male
Muscle, Smooth*
Penile Erection
Penile Implantation
Penile Induration
Penile Neoplasms
Penis
Relaxation
Collagen
Formaldehyde