PERINEAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATI ONS FOR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION - A STUDY OF 423 CASES

Perineal electrophysiological investigations allow an objective and qu antitative approach to the different somatic (motor or sensitive) and vegetative nerve pathways involved in the control of erection. The lev el of neurogenic involvement (central or peripheral, encephalic, spina l, radicular, troncular) can be determined precisely and, sometimes, t he prognosis also. A series of 423 patients underwent the following in vestigations : detection electromyography of the perineal floor muscle s and recordings of the bulbo-cavernosus reflex latency, medial pudend al nerve somesthesic cortical evoked potentials, conduction rate of th e dorsal nerve of the penis and sympathetic skin response. An alterati on in at least one of the tests was observed in 49 % of the patients. The most frequently observed disturbance involved reduced sensitive co nduction of the dorsal nerve of the penis in neurologic patients (64,5 %).