Prostatic fascia and recovery of sexual function after radical prostatectomy: Is it a "Veil of Aphrodite" or "Veil of mystery"!
Sexual dysfunction is one of the most controversial aspects associated with radical prostatectomy. Since Walsh's description of neurovascular bundle there have been number of articles describing various modification to the technique of bilateral nerve sparing to augment the recovery of sexual function. There is a very thin line between performing an ideal nerve sparing and giving equally good oncological outcome in terms of negative surgical margin. "Veil of Aphrodite" nerve sparing technique was conceptualized by Menon et al. Lately other related terms have emerged in the literature e.g., "high anterior release, "curtain dissection," or "incremental nerve sparing. Does veil technique of radical prostatectomy help improve recovery of sexual function? Do mere presence of nerves in veil account for potency? Are these nerve parasympathetic? This short review tries to find the answer of these questions in contemporary world literature.
Mandhani
Anil
A
Department of Urology. Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.