An anatomical analysis of the dorsoventral relationship between the sacral plexus and the pudendal nerve in man by use of computer aided three-dimensional reconstruction.

In order to investigate the dorsoventral relationship between the sacral plexus and the pudendal nerve in man, morphological examination was performed on one pelvic half of a male cadaver. The second and third spinal nerves were removed en bloc and sectioned serially for three-dimensional reconstruction imaging of the selected sections. Comparison of the sequential images revealed that the root of the pudendal nerve is first situated ventral to the caudal root of the sacral plexus, and that the former and the latter are shifted cranialward and caudalward, respectively, at the point of exit from the second anterior sacral foramen.