[Restoration of erectile function by reconstructing cavernous nerves with small intestinal submucosa grafts].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the restoration of erectile function by reconstructing cavernous nerves (CN) with small intestinal submucosa (SIS) grafts.


METHODS
We prepared SIS grafts, established rat models and divided the models into a CN ablation, a sham-operation and an SIS graft group. The CNs at both sides were severed with 1 cm ablated in the first group, and 0.5 cm removed in the third, followed by reconstruction with the SIS grafts. Three months after surgery, the apomorphine test was performed to evaluate the erectile function, and then all the rats were sacrificed to detect the expression of nNOS in the penis.


RESULTS
Penile erection was observed in 72.73% (8/11) of the rats for (1.07 +/- 0.89) times within 30 min in the SIS graft group, as compared with 0% (0/11) of the rats for (0.00 +/- 0.00) times in the CN ablation group (P < 0.01), and 90.91% (10/11) of the rats for (2.19 +/- 1.17) times in the sham-operation group (P < 0.01). The number of nNOS nerve fibers was significantly larger in the SIS graft than in the CN ablation group (70.36 +/- 10.09 versus 22.09 +/- 4.76, P < 0.01), but both were significantly smaller than that of the sham-operation group (90.81 +/- 5.69, P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The SIS grafting technique contributes to the recanalization of the severed CN and restoration of erectile function in rats after surgical injury.
Lu
Hong-Kai
HK
Department of Urology, Weifang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Weifang, Shandong 261041, China. navyjoe@126.com
Zhou
Hai-Jun
HJ
Gao
En-Jiang
EJ
Song
Lu-Jie
LJ
Zuo
Hai-Zhen
HZ
Yan
Bo
B
Yu
Zhi-Yong
ZY
Du
Jing
J
Bi
Wen-Hua
WH
D000818:Animals; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000601:surgery*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000637:transplantation*; D007421:Intestine, Small; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D009417:Nerve Tissue / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D010410:Penile Erection; D010413:Penis / Q000294:innervation*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley