The aim in managing stage pT1 bladder cancer is to anticipate tumour progression when cystectomy is still curative. The concern over major life-style alterations attributed to a radical operation has largely been eliminated by the development of a “nerve-sparing” technique and bladder replacement or continent diversion. Impotence after cystectomy derives from injury to the pelvic nerve plexus that provides autonomic innervation to the corpora cavernosa. The dangerous moments of “nerve-sparing” cystectomy can be avoided by leaving both the seminal vesicles and the prostatic capsule in place. We present our series of 24 “seminal-sparing” cystectomies performed between April 1990 and April 1996 in highly selected patients with recurrent T1 bladder cancer. All the patients could achieve erections that were adequate for sexual intercourse and neither local recurrences nor distant metastases have been observed at a mean follow-up of 38 months.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.