J Korean Acad Rehabil Med.  2008 Oct;32(5):544-548.

Nocturnal Penile Tumescense and Rigidity Testing for Evaluation of Erectile Dysfunction in Men with Spinal Cord Injury

• Kim HJ
• Lee BS
• Park CW
• Choi SW
• Yi SH
• Kim HC
• Kim SS

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate erectile dysfunction in patients with spinal cord injury and the relationship between patient's subjective answers and the results of objective tests regarding erectile dysfunction. METHOD: Twenty-one male patients with erectile dysfunction after spinal cord injury were administered with nocturnal penile tumescense and rigidity testing (NPTR) using Rigiscan(R) over 2 consecutive nights. NPTR using Rigiscan(R) at second night was performed after oral administration of sildenafil 50 mg. Answer of the global efficacy question (GEQ) after oral administration of sildenafil 50 mg and the parameters of NPTR were compared.
RESULTS
After oral administration of sildenafil 50 mg, number and duration of erectile episodes, and duration of rigidity greater than 60% on NPTR improved significantly (p< 0.05). Sixteen out of seventeen patients (94.1%) who showed improved nocturnal erection after oral administration of sildenafil 50 mg answered that they had an improved erectile function after sildenafil. All four patients (100%) who showed no improvement in nocturnal erection after sildenafil answered that their erectile function was not improved after oral administration of sildenafil 50 mg.
CONCLUSION
We expect NPTR using Rigiscan(R) might be useful for the evaluation of erectile dysfunction in men with spinal cord injury.

Keyword

Erectile dysfunction; Spinal cord injury; Nocturnal penile tumescense and rigidity testing (NPTR); Rigiscan(R)

MeSH Terms

Administration, Oral
Erectile Dysfunction
Humans
Male
Piperazines
Purines
Spinal Cord
Spinal Cord Injuries
Sulfones
Sildenafil Citrate
Piperazines
Purines
Sulfones