Credit score: Leiden College
Erection issues can have a huge effect on high quality of life and well being, however present diagnostic strategies are painful, uncomfortable and technologically outdated. Ph.D. candidate Evelien Journey has developed a brand new system that may measure erections extra comfortably and painlessly.
Journey’s analysis started with a affected person who refused to endure an injection in his penis. “The injection was needed for the diagnosis, so it meant we couldn’t help him further.” It’s a downside Journey has encountered extra usually in her work as a physician and sexologist, at the moment, at St Antonius Hospital. It impressed her to hunt a contemporary, patient-friendly methodology for measuring erections.
Erectile dysfunction is the recurrent or short-term incapability to realize or keep an erection ample for sexual exercise. With erection issues, you will need to diagnose whether or not the trigger is bodily or psychological. One methodology entails measuring the nocturnal erections wholesome males expertise throughout REM sleep.
Nocturnal erections are measured utilizing two bands positioned across the penis which are related to a cumbersome system strapped to the affected person’s leg. “Many patients find it difficult to sleep wearing this,” says Journey.
“The bands periodically contract around the penis to take measurements. Some patients describe it as a torture device.” As well as, the system is so previous that it’s incompatible with fashionable computer systems.
Promising outcomes
Journey developed a smaller testing system that may be connected on to the penis. She was helped by her husband, Tim van Dam, who works with sensor expertise to guard wild animals in Africa by means of Sensible Parks. Combining their experience, they quickly developed a brand new sensor.
The brand new system measures not solely the blood movement but in addition the penis temperature for improved diagnostics. Assessments with wholesome males confirmed that the sensor efficiently measured over 80% of erections. “The results are promising but more testing is needed before the sensor can be approved for medical use.”
Additional improvement
Journey hopes one other Ph.D. candidate will proceed growing the system. “Or that a company is interested. The device could be adapted for consumer use, allowing people to check if everything is still working in the comfort of their own homes.”
Journey additionally sees potential in adapting the system to measure feminine erections. “Women have erectile tissue just like men, meaning they also experience erections. There’s little research on female erections in women, which is a real pity.”
Erectile dysfunction in males will be an early warning signal of heart problems. “It would be good to conduct just as much basic research in women.”
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Researcher develops new system for diagnosing erectile dysfunction (2025, January 21)
retrieved 21 January 2025
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