Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Patients With Primary Premature Ejaculation

PURPOSE: Premature ejaculation has been believed to be psychological in the majority of patients. With few exceptions organic conditions are rarely implicated. We investigated the possible role of sensory function in patients with primary premature ejaculation to determine whether there is an etiological basis for this condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed somatosensory evoked potentials from the penis in 34 patients with primary premature ejaculation and in 30 normally potent men. The latencies and amplitudes of the evoked potentials were measured at the penile shaft (dorsal nerve) and at the glans penis. RESULTS: Mean latency of dorsal nerve and glans penis somatosensory evoked potentials was 1.51 and 6.80 (significant) msec. shorter, respectively, in the patients than in the normal subjects. In the normal subjects the mean latency of glans penis somatosensory evoked potentials was 0.99 msec. longer than that of the dorsal nerve (not significantly different) but in patients the mean latency in the glans penis was 4.30 msec. shorter (p < 0.001). Mean amplitude of glans penis somatosensory evoked potentials was less than that of the dorsal nerve in both groups. However, mean amplitudes of dorsal nerve and glans penis somatosensory evoked potentials were significantly greater in patients than in normal men. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with premature ejaculation have hypersensitivity and hyperexcitability of the glans penis, which may give rise to uncontrolled ejaculation and are believed to be organic implications for premature ejaculation.