Abstract
Objectives
To evaluate penile sensory thresholds in neonatally circumcised and uncircumcised
men.
Methods
We evaluated 125 patients, 62 uncircumcised men and 63 neonatally circumcised men.
All patients completed the Erectile Function domain of the International Index of
Erectile Function questionnaire. Of the 125 patients, 29 (International Index of Erectile
Function score of between 25 and 30) were placed in the functional group, and 96 in
the dysfunctional group. The patients were tested on the dorsal midline glans of the
penis (foreskin retracted). Quantitative somatosensory testing was performed and included
vibration, pressure, spatial perception, and warm and cold thermal thresholds.
Results
In the functional group, t-test analysis demonstrated a significant (P <0.001) difference, with worse vibration and better pressure sensation for uncircumcised
men. When controlling for age, hypertension, and diabetes, all t-test significance was lost. In the dysfunctional group, circumcised men (49 ± 16
years) were significantly younger (P <0.01) than uncircumcised men (56 ± 13 years). For the dysfunctional group, t-test analysis also demonstrated worse vibration sensation for uncircumcised men (P <0.01). Again, when controlling for age, hypertension, and diabetes, all t-test significance was lost.
Conclusions
We present a comparative analysis of uncircumcised and circumcised men using a battery
of quantitative somatosensory tests that evaluate the spectrum of small to large axon
nerve fiber function. Our study controlled for factors, including age, erectile function
status, diabetes, and hypertension, that have been shown to alter neurologic testing.
In our study of neonatally circumcised men, we demonstrated that circumcision status
does not significantly alter the quantitative somatosensory testing results at the
glans penis.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
November 3,
2004
Received:
September 20,
2004
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
