[Neurovascular implications in total meso-rectal excisions. A prospective study of sexual function after surgery for rectal cancer].

Total mesorectal excision (TME), well established in the modern curative surgery of rectal cancer, needs further investigation, especially with regards to the preservation technic of the autonomous abdominopelvic innervation currently used to prevent or reduce the urogenital sequelae. The Authors offer a perspective study over the recovery of sexual activity in a homogeneous group of 32 male patients submitted, because of cancer, to restorative proctectomy, with anatomical preparation of the hypogastric and sacral plexus. The criteria for eligibility were the followings: male under 70 years of age, excision of the primary rectal cancer with coloanal or colo-rectal anastomosis performed at less than 5 cm from the anal verge, staging not more than T3N2M0, without previous RT or other pelvic operations and without protective enterostomy, nor local or systemic recurrences during the follow up period. The functional results obtained on the basis of a questionnaire, filled in quarterly by the patients as well as their partners for at least a year, three months after the operation were: lack of sexual disorders in 37.5%, reduction of the sexual activity (partial erection, lack of ejaculation, anorgasmy) in the 34.4%, and no sexual activity in 28.1% of the patients. After 6 months the total lack of sexual activity was observed in only 15.6% of the patients, whereas after a year 65.6% of the patients showed a normal level of sexual activity. The Authors explain the preparatory technic to approach the mesorectum sparing the autonomous nerves and discuss the two fundamental surgical-anatomical aspects of the nerve-sparing technic still not sufficiently clarified as far as the behaviour of the pelvic visceral fascia and the course of the medial-rectal artery are concerned. The results obtained even considering the limitation in the evaluation and standardization of the genito-sexual disorders, show the need to extend and deepen the study relative to the nerve-sparing technics in rectal cancer surgery.