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Establishing a Thermal Imaging Technology (IRT) Based System for Evaluating Rat Erectile Function
Shuai Liu1, Zhendong Zhao1, Ziwen Wang2
1Department of Urology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, SD, China; Department of Urology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, SD, China.
Sexual Medicine
|January 9, 2022
Summary
Infrared ray thermography technology offers a non-invasive alternative to intra-cavernous pressure measurements for evaluating rat erectile function. This method accurately monitors erectile function changes over time in various erectile dysfunction models.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Animal Models
Background:
- Intra-cavernous pressure (ICP) measurement is standard for evaluating animal erectile function but is invasive and destructive.
- This invasiveness limits longitudinal monitoring of erectile function throughout treatment durations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess infrared ray thermography technology (IRT) as a non-invasive substitute for ICP in evaluating rat erectile function.
- To validate IRT's sensitivity and specificity across diverse erectile dysfunction (ED) models.
Main Methods:
- Established four rat ED models: diabetic, nerve-injury, vascular-injury, and aged.
- Employed IRT to monitor erectile function and compared results with ICP measurements.
- Analyzed data for trends, peak values, climbing speed, and area under the curve (AUC).
Main Results:
- IRT demonstrated trends similar to ICP, including peak values and climbing speed, across all ED models.
- High AUC values for peak temperature (0.9811-0.9989) and temperature climbing rate (0.6486-0.9184) indicate IRT's precision.
- IRT enabled non-invasive, dynamic monitoring of erectile function, capturing real-time recovery after tadalafil intervention in diabetic ED rats within two weeks.
Conclusions:
- A novel, non-invasive IRT-based system effectively evaluates rat erectile function.
- IRT can replace or supplement traditional ICP testing for longitudinal studies.
- This technology facilitates precise, real-time monitoring of erectile function in ED models.
