Measurement of electrochemical conductance of penile skin using Sudoscan®: A new tool to assess neurogenic impotence.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the value of electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) measurement at penile level using Sudoscan® for the diagnosis of neurogenic impotence in diabetics.

METHODS

The following neurophysiological parameters were assessed in 25 male diabetics who complained of impotence and 25 age-matched normal male subjects without erectile dysfunction (age range: 29-70 years): ESC, sympathetic skin responses (SSR), warm detection thresholds (WDT), and cold detection thresholds (CDT) for the penis and the feet, vibration detection thresholds (VDT) for the penis, and sensory nerve conduction study of the dorsal nerve of the penis (DNP) with sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) recording.

RESULTS

Diabetic patients with impotence differed from controls with regard to most neurophysiological results at both penile and foot levels. Among penile innervation variables in the group of impotent diabetics, penile ESC was found to be the most frequently abnormal (80% of patients), followed by penile WDT, CDT, and DNP-SNAP amplitude (52% of patients), and then penile SSR amplitude and VDT (44% of patients). Various combinations of abnormalities were observed: penile ESC was the only abnormal test in 2 patients, while all tests were abnormal in 2 patients and remained normal in only one patient.

CONCLUSION

Erectile dysfunction is common in diabetic men, but the diagnosis of a neurogenic origin is challenging. This study showed that ESC measurement using Sudoscan® is feasible and more sensitive than SSR recordings to show penile sympathetic innervation impairment. This new test should be further studied to better define its diagnostic accuracy and clinical correlates.