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

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.