Use of the evoked sacral potential in the evaluation of erectile impotence

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Abstract
Forty‐six men with complaints of erectile dysfunction underwent multifaceted evaluations at our Center for Male Sexual Dysfunction. In addition, the evoked sacral potential (ESP) as a measure of the bulbocavernosus reflex was determined in each patient. The results were correlated with the final diagnoses obtained from the Center evaluation and analyzed. In nine patients a reproducible response could not be elicited. Of the remaining patients, 13 had abnormal and 24 had normal ESP responses. However, only 3 of the 13 patients who demonstrated abnormal ESPs were found to have organic impotence. Similarly, 10 of the 24 men with normal ESPs were thought to have organic impotence. Thus, a specific relationship between the ESP and erectile ability was not demonstrated. Therefore, the ESP is not useful in differentiating between organic impotence of neurogenic origin and psychogenic impotence.