AB100. The gold standard of erectile function assessment—intracavernosal pressure detection: How to anesthetize?

Background: Intracavernosal pressure (ICP) recording is the gold standard for the assessment of erectile function in animals, but no consensus has yet been established on what kind of anesthetic protocol should be applied. The aim of this study is to offer scientific evidence on which anesthesia protocol is more reliable for ICP recording.

Methods: A total of 16 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized in two groups. In group A, chloral hydrate was injected intraperitoneally. Rats in group B were induced in 5% isoflurane for 3 min and then maintained in 1.0–1.5% isoflurane. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate were monitored during all experiments. After ICP detection, tail vein and carotid artery blood were collected.

Results: The maximum ICP value, MAP and ICP/MAP ratio in group B are significantly higher compared to group A. The RR in group A is lower than in that of group B, but the heart rate in group A is higher than the one in group B. There are no significant differences in pO2 and pCO2 between two groups. While the data showed that animals in group A were relatively hypoxemic.

Conclusions: Isoflurane inhalation anesthesia in ICP detection could offer a relatively more stable physical state than in that under the effect of chloral hydrate intraperitoneal anesthesia. Isoflurane inhalation anesthesia in ICP detection should become a part of gold standard in animal erectile function assessment.

Keywords: Intracavernosal pressure (ICP); anesthesia