Prostate Cancer Tridimensional Computer-Assisted Anatomic Dissection of Posterolateral Prostatic Neurovascular Bundles Bayan Alsaid a,b, *, Ibrahim Karam a,b , Thomas Bessede a , Issam Abdlsamad b , Jean-Franc ¸ ois Uhl b , Vincent Delmas b , Ge ´rardBenoıˆt a , Ste ´phane Droupy a a Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, EA 4122, Faculty of Medicine, Biceˆtre-Paris 11 University, Paris, France b Institute of Anatomy of Saints Pe `res, Faculty of Medicine, Rene ´ Descartes-Paris 5 University, Paris, France EUROPEAN UROLOGY 58 (2010) 281–287 available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.europeanurology.com Article info Article history: Accepted April 6, 2010 Published online ahead of print on April 16, 2010 Keywords: Anatomy Cavernous nerves Computer-assisted anatomic dissection Neurovascular bundle Three-dimensional reconstruction Abstract Background: Detailed knowledge of nerve distribution in the neurovascular bun- dle (NVB) is essential to preserve sexual function after prostatic surgery. Objective: To identify the location as well as the type (adrenergic, cholinergic, and sensory) of nerve fibres within the NVB and to provide a three-dimensional (3D) representation of their structural relationship in the human male foetus. Design, setting, and participants: Serial transverse sections were performed every 150–200 mm in the pelvic portion of six human male foetuses (15–20 wk of gestation). Sections were treated with histologic and immunohistochemical meth- ods (hematin-eosin-safran, Luxol Fast Blue, immunolabelling of protein S100, vesicular acetylcholine transporter, tyrosine hydroxylase, calcitonin gene-related peptide, and substance P). The 3D pelvic reconstruction was obtained from digitised serial sections using WinSurf software. Measurements: NVB nerve location and type were evaluated qualitatively. Results and limitations: The 3D reconstruction allowed precise identification of pelvic organ innervation. Nerve fibres derived from the inferior hypogastric plexus followed two courses: posterior and lateral, providing cholinergic, adrenergic, and sensory innervation to seminal vesicles, vas deferens, prostate, and urethral sphincter. Cavernous nerve fibres did not strictly follow the NVB course; they were distributed at several levels, in a fanlike formation. The main limitations of this study were the limited number of specimens available due to legal restriction and the time-consuming nature of the manually performed stages in the method. Conclusions: The distribution of nerve fibres within the posterolateral prostatic NVB and the existence of mixed innervation in the posterior and lateral fibre courses at the level of the prostate and seminal vesicles give us an insight into how to minimise effects on sexual function during prostatic surgery. The 3D computer- assisted anatomic dissection represents an original method of applying anatomic knowledge to surgical technique to improve nerve preservation and decrease postoperative sexual complications. # 2010 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Laboratoire de chirurgie expe ´ rimentale, EA 4122, Faculte ´ de Me ´ decine, 63 rue Gabriel Pe ´ ri, 94270 Le Kremlin-Bice ˆtre, France. E-mail address: drbayan@gmail.com (B. Alsaid). 0302-2838/$ – see back matter # 2010 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2010.04.002