The value of testing pudendal nerve conduction in evaluating erectile dysfunction in diabetics

We conducted an open prospective study on the value of testing pudendal ner ve conduction (PNC) in 45 diabetic and 32 nondiabetic men with documented e rectile dysfunction (ED) of at least six months duration. All subjects unde rwent PNC by the same investigator using the Medcelec/TECA Sapphire device with calibration parameters of sweep 10 ms/div an amplitude of 200 mu V/div . No statistically significant differences was found in the mean bulbocaver nosus reflex (ECR) latencies between the nondiabetics (33.6 ms/div +/- 4.1) and the diabetics (37.5 ms/div +/- 9.1) (P > 0.05). Our results show that electrophysiological measurement of the BCR in diabetics is not a useful di agnostic test and emphasize the importance of a multifactorial evaluation o f diabetic ED.