Recording the corpus cavernosum electromyogram: Principles and problems

Purpose: To apply digital signal acquisition and analyzing techniques to the collection and interpretation of electromyographic data of the cavernous body. Materials and Methods: Electromyographic recordings were performed in the cavernous bodies of anesthetized, spontaneously breathing dogs under resting conditions and after intracavernous pharmacostimulation with norepinephrine, angiotensin II, phentolamine/papaverine, diethylether and T61. Results: Resting corpus cavernosum activity was ill-coordinated and provided little information. Signal energy was confined largely to the range below 20 Hz. Pharmacostimulation with norepinephrine or angiotensin increased frequency and amplitude of the potential transients and decreased the random components. Administration of a combination of phentolamine and papaverine made the signals very regular and increased periodicity. Blockade of electrical membrane events with diethylether removed all signal components except for electrical and biological noise. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that electromyograms from the corpus cavernosum can be recorded even under adverse conditions. Signal properties, however, are such that the application of computer-aided data processing and analysis to the evaluation of these myograms is imperative.