Surgical interventions

The erectile function may be damaged by trauma to the pelvic region or spinal cord, as well as surgery of the colon, prostate, bladder or rectum and radiation therapy. Injuries of the pelvis and spinal cord damage veins and nerves involved in the erection, while surgery may damage nerves and blood vessels in the process. Surgery in cases of prostate and bladder cancer involve removing tissue and nerves around a tumor. The nerve and tissue removal often leads to impotence.

Clinical trials conducted in prostate cancer patients show that erectile dysfunction affected more than 90% of patients who underwent a bilateral nerve sparing retro pubic radical prostatectomy afterwards. It happens with radiation therapy used in treating prostate or bladder cancer.
Fortunately, medical techniques are permanently evolving. At the moment, specialists have developed new nerve-sparing methods, which aim to decrease the incidence of 40% - 60%. However a temporary impotence may install also after implementing these new techniques.

The easiest way to prevent ED is to preserve as much as possible the nerves when conducting a radical prostectomy. The presence of some nerves improves the chances for spontaneous recuperation with up to 50%. To that, there can be added oral medications or injections to reach the normal coordinates of the erection.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is very common in men in the U.S. as figures prove it. 240,000 recently discovered cases and 40,000 deceases were reported in 1997. An important role in the decrease of these numbers was played by the development of a screening test, PSA, and the improvement of public awareness. Prostate cancer is rarely met before age 40, but the incidence grows with age, as by 80 years old more than 70% of men will suffer from PCa. The incidence of PCa seems to develop earlier in Afro-Americans. Yet, the disease is slow- rising, non-life-threatening.