B18 - Corpus Cavernosum EMG in Erectile Dysfunction

The main objective of the Action was to determine the value of cc EMG in the investigation and management of erectile dysfunction and to increase the knowledge of corpus cavernosum EMG (cc-EMG). The action improved the clinical significance of ccEMG as a non-invasive test in erectile dysfunction and the resulting objective was to make the ccEMG test available for (pharmaceutical) research and daily routine clinical use.

The secondary objectives were: Basic understanding of ccEMG; Standardisation of ccEMG measurement; Interpretation of ccEMG; Role of ccEMG in diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

The main conclusions of the scientific networking were:
1. CC-EMG signals reflect electrical activity of the cavernous smooth muscles. Further basic electrophysiological studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the recorded signals.
2. Cross-correlation analysis is a promising method for a qualitative analysis of the CC-EMG recordings. A method to fix the interelectrode distance should be explored, in order to calculate reliable propagation velocity.
3. The influence of different temperature on the harmonic frequency of CC-potentials should be tested, in order to elucidate if the harmonic frequency gradients of CC-potentials from the proximal to distal parts of the penis are caused by the temperature difference.
4.The application program for correlation analysis of CC potentials holds the promise to be a comprehensive and easily applicable method to analyze CC-EMG recordings. By calculating the parameters including Amplitude (A), Duration (D), Dominant Frequency (DF), number of dominant frequency periods (DFP) DFP and squared maximum cross-correlation coefficient (Rmax) CC potentials can be characterized adequately. However, the link between the recorded CC-potentials and cavernosal electropathophysiology need further elucidation.