title: [Restoration of erectile function by reconstructing cavernous nerves with small intestinal submucosa grafts].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Weifang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Weifang, Shandong 261041, China. navyjoe@126.com
authors.forename: Hong-Kai
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Hai-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: En-Jiang
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Lu-Jie
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hai-Zhen
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Zhi-Yong
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Wen-Hua
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Bi
mesh_terms: 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