[Value of registering nocturnal REM phase related erections in diagnosis of erectile impotence].

A recently published field study from Boston, USA, showed an incidence of complete erectile dysfunction of 9.6% in 1290 men between 40 to 70 years. The invasive diagnostic schedule based on intracavernous pharmacon injection since 1982, continues to be dependent on the individual adrenergic tonus of the patient influenced by stress and fear. False-positive results are often found and consequently lead to strictly somatic therapeutic approaches like microsurgical vascular procedures or prosthetic implants. Computerized registration of nocturnal REM-phase correlated erections (NPTR-measurements) enables the examiner to evaluate the principal erectile capacity of intracavernous erectile tissue independently from psychic disturbances, if well standardized evaluation criteria are used.