Anatomic basis of nerve-sparing robotic prostatectomy

It is estimated that, in 2005, prostate cancer will be diagnosed in over 232,090 men in the United States and that 30,350 men will die from the disease.¹ Radical retropubic prostatectomy offers an effective cure,^2-4 but is associated with significant postoperative morbidity, including erectile dysfunction and incontinence.^5,6 The development of nerve-sparing anatomic prostatectomy by Walsh and colleagues has lead to improved potency rates.^7,8 However, the results regarding potency preservation published in the literature by many centers are not satisfactory.^5,6