Erectile dysfunction occurs in most patients after surgery, but generally returns to normal within one year after surgery.
Erectile function is neurologically regulated, and the nerves that govern penile erection are contained in a structure called the “neurovascular bundle” on each side of the posterior lateral aspect of the prostate.
Traditional radical prostate cancer surgery is often performed to remove the lesion as completely as possible, often damaging the “neurovascular bundle” and causing erectile dysfunction in most patients after surgery.
In recent years, radical prostate cancer surgery has been performed to preserve the neurovascular bundle as much as possible while ensuring complete resection of the tumor, thus preserving sexual function as much as possible. However, there are some patients who still develop erectile dysfunction even after undergoing surgery that preserves the neurovascular bundle because:
- Because of the high anatomical variability of the neurovascular bundle, that is, some people have a different location of the erectile nerve than the norm and are susceptible to intraoperative injury;
- On the other hand, it is also possible that the blood vessels supplying the penis or the corpus cavernosum may be damaged during surgery, which can lead to postoperative impotence.
But overall, with the development of neurovascular bundle protection techniques in recent years, most patients can generally return to normal sexual function within one year after surgery.
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