Method: Fifteen rabbits were experimentally spinal cord injured at the T10 or T11 spinal cord level. Three kinds of stimulation frequency (10, 20, 40 Hz) and sham control stimulation were applied to the tibialis anterior muscle of each four group for 1 hour per day, for 2 weeks. Muscle fatigue index and peak torque were measured during electrical stimulation, and proportion of the type I muscle fiber was measured at ATPase (pH 9.4) staining.

Results: Complete paraplegia was obtained in all 12 rabbits. Muscle fatigue index and peak torque were not changed after 2 weeks of electrical stimulation in all four groups. The proportion of the type I muscle fiber was reduced in all four groups after 2 weeks. However, 40 Hz stimulation group showed less decline in proportion of type I muscle fiber than control or 10 Hz group.

Conclusion: High frequency electrical stimulation applied at an early stage of spinal cord injury is more effective in preserving muscle endurance than low frequency stimulation. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2003; 27: 410-417)

Infertility due to ejaculatory failure and poor semen quality is a main problem for sexual dysfunction of spinal cord injured (SCI) men. A 27-year-old paraplegic man who wished to father children was induced to repeated ejaculations for eight times with a rectal probe electrical stimulation at one or two weekly interval. For the 4th to 8th stimulations, the subject took pseudoephedrine 20 mg, three times a day orally to improve the semen quality. We report a triplet childbirth between the SCI man and his healthy wife through the ejaculatory stimulations in conjuction with advanced reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Objective: To investigate the current state of the psychological aspects for the sexual function in spinal cord injured (SCI) men and to provide a basis of sexual rehabilitation program.

Method: Seventy-seven spinal cord injured men and 87 healthy adults participated and completed Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI). This questionnaire consisted of 10 subtests such as sexual information, experience, drive, attitude, psychological symptoms, affect, gender role, sexual fantasy, body image, and sexual satisfaction.

Results: Compared with healthy adults, SCI men had lower sexual experience, drive and satisfaction with a statistical significance (p＜0.05). They also had more psychological distress symptoms, negative affect, and negative body image (p＜0.05). There was no significant differences between tetraplegia and paraplegia, complete and incomplete injury, nor inpatient and outpatient. However, the SCI men with independent mobility had significantly greater sexual satisfaction, compared with the SCI men with dependent mobility (p＜0.05).

Conclusion: Most SCI men had psychologic sexual dysfuctions as well as organic problems, especially among the married men with dependent mobility. We suggest that more aggressive intervention of sexual rehabilitation need to be provided for this group.