Rhythmic Oscillations of Human Penile Bioimpedance in Healthy Individuals and in Patients with Vascular Erectile Dysfunction

Small variations of electric impedance (bioimpedance) of human penis were examined in healthy volunteers and in patients with vascular erectile dysfunction (ED). The harmonic analysis revealed rhythmic oscillations of penile bioimpedance at frequencies corresponding to the heart and respiration rates and Mayer wave (0.1 Hz) and to multiple frequencies (harmonics) of the respiratory and cardiac oscillations. In normal penile bioimpedance spectrum, the Mayer and respiratory peaks were several times higher than the first cardiac (pulsatile) harmonic indicating neurogenic origin of rhythmic bioimpedance variations in the whole penis. The most of healthy individuals (78%) demonstrated the cardiac harmonics at the frequency range of 4–7 Hz that violated the monotone decrement of the pulsatile harmonic series suggesting the resonant character of oscillations of the penile arteries at this “near” frequency range. In contrast to stable 1–4 cardiac harmonics, the amplitudes of the near-range resonant harmonics could vary during few minutes suggesting a causal relation of the corresponding bioimpedance oscillations with the varying vascular tone in penile arteries. The most patients (89%) with vascular ED demonstrated not only the first 1–4 monotonically decrementing harmonics and the near-resonant ones, but also the stable cardiac harmonics at the “far” frequency range of 8–14 Hz that also disturbed the monotonic character of the cardiac harmonic series indicating the sclerotic alterations in regional arteries. In ED patients, insignificant decrease of the initial cardiac harmonics C1-C3 in comparison with the norm was accompanied by pronounced and significant decrease of the respiratory R1 and Mayer M1 peaks. The study showed that the far-frequency bioimpedance resonances at the range of 8–14 Hz and dramatic drop of Mayer and respiratory peaks are the diagnostic signs of vascular ED independent on the accompanying hormonal or neurogenic disorders.