New nocturnal penile tumescence recorder

Abstract

(Background) Records of nocturnal penile tumescence are still important tests and necessary to distinguish organic impotence from psycogenic impotence. (Methods) We developed the nocturnal penile tumescence recorder with a disposable indiumgallium straingauge, and we examined its clinical usefulness for volunteers with normal erectile function. (Results) The results were that the indium-gallium straingauge had almost the same resistance change with extension, and that it showed almost the same resistance value at respective circumferences with consecutively ten times measurements. Only two of thirty-nine volunteers experienced the snapping of the indium-gallium straingauge. None of the voluneteers complained of discomfort during measurements. The nocturnal penile tumescence of five volunteers were recorded with a conventional mercuric straingauge and a newly developed indium-gallium straingauge simultaneously, and there were no significant differences between the results of the two materials. This recorder is very simple to manage, and the softwares for preservation of data and making graph are also simple. This new straingauge is clean and dose not require maintenance because of the disposable use. (Conclusion) We concluded that this recorder system was clinically useful for the examination of nocturnal penile tumescence. © 1995, THE JAPANESE UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. All rights reserved.