Application of factor analysis for the determination of specific frequency bands in corpus cavernosum EMG power density spectra.

Corpus cavernosum electromyogram (CC-EMG) recording provides diagnostic information on cavernous autonomic innervation and the intact state of cavernous smooth muscle cells. Evaluation of these signals is time consuming and complex. Therefore, we attempted to facilitate their interpretation and to increase their objectivity by using computer-based digital signal processing. Spectral parameters were used as a starting point for this analysis, which were calculated from the Fourier-transformed time domain CC-EMGs. Factor analysis was applied to determine specific frequency bands in the CC-EMG power density. Two hundred power spectra, taken from normal subjects (n = 66) and from patients suffering from erectile dysfunction (n = 134), constituted the basic data. As a result of applying factor analysis, four specific frequency bands were depicted: 0.0-0.3, 0.3-3.5, 3.5-6.0 and 6.0-10.0 Hz. The results of this study form the basis for further mathematical evaluation and calculation of the CC-EMG for clinical and diagnostic purposes.