Preliminary observations of the utility of portable NPT

Nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) has been utilized as an aid in the differential diagnosis of male erectile failure. The development of portable NPT monitors will broaden its applicability. Surprisingly, there are few data correlating sexual history interviews with NPT. In this study, 50 normal controls, 25 chronically ill patients with normal renal functioning, and 48 men with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) provided both detailed sexual histories and NPT tracings from portable monitors. In general, the data obtained from these two different sources of information were congruent. The presence of a sexual partner who could verify the sexual history enhanced the congruity. Portable NPT is probably useful at the very least as a screening technique in the assessment of male erectile failure.