Diagnostic Performance of a Flexible Penile Monitoring System for ED

August 8, 2026 updated by: Bin Xu

Diagnostic Performance Evaluation and Clinical Translation Research of a New Intelligent Flexible Penile Monitoring System for Erectile Dysfunction

This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a novel intelligent flexible penile monitoring system for erectile dysfunction (ED). The current gold standard, RigiScan Plus, often causes discomfort and disrupts sleep due to its mechanical rings, leading to potential "first-night effect" biases. This research utilizes a prospective crossover design to compare the accuracy of the new flexible system with RigiScan in measuring peak rigidity and tumescence. A total of 60 participants (30 ED patients and 30 healthy volunteers) will be enrolled. The study expects to confirm that the flexible system provides highly accurate diagnostic data while significantly improving patient comfort and maintaining natural sleep structures.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Nocturnal Penile Tumescence (NPT) monitoring is essential for differentiating psychogenic from organic ED. However, traditional mechanical devices pose physical loads that may trigger arousals during REM sleep. This study introduces a flexible sensing technology with an ultra-thin (<0.8mm) layer to achieve "unfelt" monitoring.

The primary objective is to assess the consistency of physical parameters (peak rigidity % and tumescence) between the flexible system and RigiScan Plus. Participants will be randomized 1:1 into two sequences for a two-night crossover monitoring process with a 3-7 day washout period. Secondary objectives include evaluating clinical diagnosis agreement (Kappa), sleep quality metrics (Arousal frequency), and patient comfort scores (VAS). Additionally, the study will explore the correlation between "deformation heatmaps" and hemodynamic indicators from Penile Color Doppler Ultrasound (CDDU) to improve fine-grained ED subtyping.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • China
    • Jiangsu
      • Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, 210009
        • Zhongda Hospital Southeast University
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of adult males (18-70 years old) visiting the Urology Outpatient Clinic of Zhongda Hospital with complaints of erectile dysfunction, as well as healthy male volunteers recruited from the community.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Males aged 18-70 years with good communication and compliance.
  2. Able to follow clinical Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and complete two-stage nocturnal monitoring and clinic-induced tests.
  3. Fully informed about the study and signed the informed consent form.
  4. For ED Group: Clinically diagnosed with erectile dysfunction with an IIEF-5 score < 21.
  5. For Healthy Group: Normal erectile function, no history of related physiological diseases or sexual psychological disorders, with an IIEF-5 score ≥ 21.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Systemic diseases: Severe cardiovascular disease (e.g., recent myocardial infarction, unstable angina), uncontrolled severe diabetes, or severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
  2. Local anatomical factors: Severe penile malformation, spinal cord injury, or organic structural damage caused by pelvic fracture; or major surgery within the last six months.
  3. Skin and allergy factors: Active infection or eczema in the penile area, or known allergy to flexible materials (medical-grade silicone/adhesives).
  4. Mental and psychological factors: Untreated or unstable severe depression, anxiety, or other mental disorders.
  5. Medication interference: Current use of PDE5 inhibitors, androgens, anti-androgens, or drugs that significantly interfere with REM sleep structure.
  6. Other factors: Currently participating in other interventional clinical trials, or judged by researchers to have poor compliance.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
ED Patient Group
Males aged 18-70 years diagnosed with erectile dysfunction (ED) for more than 6 months, with an IIEF-5 score of less than 21.
Device: Intelligent Flexible Penile Monitoring System
A novel, ultra-thin (<0.8mm) flexible sensing system used for prospective monitoring of penile rigidity and tumescence during sleep.
Device: RigiScan Plus
RigiScan Plus
Healthy Volunteer Group
Healthy male volunteers aged 18-70 years with normal erectile function and an IIEF-5 score of 21 or greater.
Device: Intelligent Flexible Penile Monitoring System
A novel, ultra-thin (<0.8mm) flexible sensing system used for prospective monitoring of penile rigidity and tumescence during sleep.
Device: RigiScan Plus
RigiScan Plus

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Measurement Accuracy of Peak Rigidity
Time Frame: Day 1 and Day 8
Mean bias and 95% limits of agreement for peak rigidity (%) between the novel flexible system and RigiScan Plus.
Day 1 and Day 8
Measurement Accuracy of Maximum Girth Expansion
Time Frame: Day 1 and Day 8
Mean bias and 95% limits of agreement for maximum girth expansion (cm) between the novel flexible system and RigiScan Plus.
Day 1 and Day 8

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical Diagnosis Agreement Rate
Time Frame: Day 1 and Day 8
The degree of agreement in diagnostic conclusions (normal, psychogenic, or organic ED) between the two systems, evaluated using Cohen's Kappa coefficient.
Day 1 and Day 8
Sleep Efficiency
Time Frame: Day 1 and Day 8
Sleep efficiency, defined as the percentage of total sleep time spent asleep out of the total time spent in bed (%), collected by a medical-grade sleep recorder.
Day 1 and Day 8
REM Sleep Percentage
Time Frame: Day 1 and Day 8
Percentage of total sleep time spent in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep stage (%), measured by a medical-grade sleep recorder.
Day 1 and Day 8
Unintended Arousal Frequency
Time Frame: Day 1 and Day 8
Frequency of unintended arousals (number of events per hour) during sleep, measured by a medical-grade sleep recorder.
Day 1 and Day 8
Subjective Sleep Perception Score (PSQI)
Time Frame: Day 2 and Day 8
Participant subjective sleep perception evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The score ranges from 0 to 21, where higher scores indicate worse sleep quality.
Day 2 and Day 8
Subjective Wearing Comfort Score
Time Frame: Day 2 and Day 8
Participant subjective wearing comfort evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The scale ranges from 0 (extreme discomfort) to 10 (maximum comfort), where higher scores indicate better comfort
Day 2 and Day 8
Participant Scheme Preference
Time Frame: Day 8
Number of participants who express a final preference for the flexible monitoring system versus RigiScan Plus.
Day 8
Response Latency During AVSS
Time Frame: Day 1
The response latency, defined as the time delay in seconds from the onset of Audiovisual Sexual Stimulation (AVSS) to a penile rigidity increase of more than 10%.
Day 1
Congestion Initiation Slope During AVSS
Time Frame: Day 1
Congestion initiation slope (rigidity change rate, % per second) reflected by deformation heatmaps during the Audiovisual Sexual Stimulation (AVSS) test.
Day 1
Correlation with Vascular Subtyping Characteristics
Time Frame: Within 1 week after monitoring.
Correlation analysis between morphology feature vectors from deformation heatmaps and hemodynamic parameters measured by Penile Color Doppler Ultrasound (CDDU).
Within 1 week after monitoring.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bin Xu

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Bin Xu, Zhongda hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 28, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2026ZDSYLL244-P01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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