Abstract
For patients on maintenance hemodialysis, sexual life is a matter of great importance. In Japan, however, little recognition has been accorded to this concern. We believe it is important to record penile tumescence objectively in the diagnosis of impotence.
We investigated the correlation between penile tumescence and pituitary-gonadal function. The patients, aged 25 to 64 years, were male uremic patients who received hemodialysis 3 times per week. These patients, 8 in number, underwent examination for sexual function and pituitary-gonadal function.
The method for testing penile tumescence employed an audiovisual sexual stimulation test. We recorded EEG, blood pressure, pulse, Galvanic skin reflex, respiration wave, and bulbocavernous EMG for the purpouse of recognizing the level of stimulation. As this method is quantitative in the recording of tumescence and the mount of stimulation, no hospital admission is required.
In 2 cases the penile change could be considered normal, 3 cases showed slight reaction, and in 3 cases there was no reaction. The degree of tumescence showed no definite correlation with age or period of dialysis. The penile changes showed no correlation with testosterone, LH, FSH, PRL, serotonin or Zn. It remained unclear whether there was any relationship between Zn insufficiency and sexual function.
For the present, it is still necessary to make an effort to clarify the causes of impotence.
