Penile Electromyography and Its Smooth Muscle Content: Interpretation of 25 Impotent Patients

AbstractPurpose: We studied the correlation of penile electromyography and the cavernous smooth muscle content in 25 impotent patients.Materials and Methods: After a complete hormonal and diagnostic evaluation, all patients underwent corpus cavernosum penile electromyography and a penile biopsy of the corpus cavernosum with the biopsy gun device. Cavernous tissue was analyzed using immunohistochemical stain actin anti-actin and computerized image analysis.Results: Of the patients 20 had normal and 5 had abnormal corpus cavernosum penile electromyography. Of the 20 patients with normal corpus cavernosum penile electromyography 12 (60 percent) showed a normal percentage of cavernous smooth muscle and 8 (40 percent) had abnormal muscle content. All patients with abnormal corpus cavernosum penile electromyography showed abnormally low cavernous smooth muscle fibers.Conclusions: Our study showed an overall low sensitivity between corpus cavernosum penile electromyography potential amplitude and cavernous smoot...