INTRODUCTION

1. SKIN CONDUCTANCE VARIATION DURING SEXUAL VISUAL STIMULATION IN PATIENTS WITH ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION Molo M.T., Cantafio P., Perozzo P, Cappai E., Vighetti S, Sandrone L., Sassu O., Latini Corazzini L. Castelli L. CE.R.NE, TURIN, ITALY. CONTACT: mtmolo@atglobal.net WEB SITE: www.cerne.it INTRODUCTION This work confirms the utility of Sexual Video Stimulation (SVS) used for Diagnostic Screening of Erectile Dysfunction (ED), because it is scarcely invasive, is reliable and has low cost. At the same time it was possible to evidence skin conductance differences during SVS between the ED patients, the ED patients in Sildenafil therapy and the control group. METHODS SUBJECTS MATERIALS Control sample was composed by 12 caucasian males, from 21 to 52 years old, no referring sexual troubles and without neurologic, cardiologic and psychiatric disorders. The experimental sample consisted in 20 caucasian males, from 26 to 54 years old, referring erectile difficulties, not in relation with dismetabolic, hormonal, iatrogenic and neurotraumatic causes. Two videos of 30 minutes were realised. They show either erotic or not erotic pictures. The erectile reaction was evaluated with Regiscan Dacomed Plus. The ED sample made a first test in basal condition and in case of no reaction, a second test after assumption of 50 g of Sildenafil. The Control Sample made only one test. During the experimental session skin conductance was recorded with a multichannel polygraph Galileo Sirius Star Ebineuro. We analysed skin conductance relative to the first erectile peak of each subject. Skin conductance is directly related to emotional stimulus intensity since it depends only on the sympathetic nervous system. Data were analysed using the t-test for independent samples. A p value < .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS DESCRIPTIVE DATA ED Sample: erectile reactions equal or higher than 60% in 8 people during the test and in 7 people during the test with Sildenafil. So, only in 5 people among 20 (25%) other diagnostic investigation is needed. Control Sample: erectile reactions equal or higher than 60%, in 80% of subjects. DISCUSSION SVS is a less expensive test than PNT and less invasive than FIC. Limits: the possible unpleasantness of erotic sequences and the anxiety that could be connected with the experimental situation. Skin conductance values in ED group resulted significantly higher than in Control group; the same situation resulted between ED group with Sildenafil and ED in Basal Test ( the first group had values significantly higher than the second one). Literature does not allow us to ascribe the symptom to Sildenafil action. So we can suppose that it could be connected to a “Performance Anxiety”: the patient is aware of having ereptile reactions during the test and much more after Sildenafil assumption. But especially the low conductance values of Control Sample make us suppose an higher tendency to sympathetic hyperactivation in patients with ED.