OBJECTIVE To study scrotal microvascularization and apply the findings to the design of reliable skin flaps for reconstructive surgery of complex urethral or panurethral stenoses. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 15 cryopreserved male cadavers, scrotal skin vascularization was explored using macro- and microdissections, and the scrotal sac made transparent using the Spalteholtz method. A meticulous d...

The pudendal nerve innervates the external urethral sphincter and, when injured, can contribute to incontinence development. This experiment was designed to study the time course of functional changes in the urethra after pudendal nerve crush in rats. Leak-point pressure (LPP) was measured 2, 4, 7, or 14 days after bilateral pudendal nerve crush and was compared to that of a control group. LPP ...

The pudendal nerve is a nerve in the pelvic region. It originates in the sacral plexus (ventral rami of the second, third and fourth sacral nerves). The pudendal nerve innervates the external genitalia and sphincters of the bladder and the rectum. It passes between the piriformis and coccygeus muscles, and leaves the pelvis through the lower part of the greater sciatic foramen. It crosses the s...

Aims of Study Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a significant medical problem affecting approximately 25 million Americans of all ages [1]. One of the epidemiologic factors most strongly associated with development of SUI in women is vaginal delivery of children [2], which can injure the nerves, muscles, and connective tissues responsible for maintaining continence [1]. In particular, the pu...

AIMS Pudendal nerve injury in the rat has been a useful animal model for studying stress urinary incontinence (SUI). However, the effect of pudendal nerve injury on activity of the external urethral sphincter (EUS) is relatively unexplored. The aims of this study were to examine voiding and the EUS electromyogram (EMG) in a durable SUI model in rats with bilateral or unilateral pudendal nerve t...

The innervation of the puborectalis and external anal sphincter muscles was studied in 32 patients with idiopathic (neurogenic) faecal incontinence, 12 of whom also had complete rectal prolapse, using transcutaneous spinal stimulation, transrectal pudendal nerve stimulation, single fibre EMG, anorectal manometry, and measurement of perineal descent. Fourteen normal subjects served as controls. ...

The innervation of the puborectalis and external anal sphincter muscles was studied in 32 patients with idiopathic (neurogenic) faecal incontinence, 12 of whom also had complete rectal prolapse, using transcutaneous spinal stimulation, transrectal pudendal nerve stimulation, single fibre EMG, anorectal manometry, and measurement of perineal descent. Fourteen normal subjects served as controls. ...

AIMS To investigate pudendal-to-bladder spinal reflexes in chronic spinal cord injured (SCI) cats induced by electrical stimulation of the pudendal nerve. METHODS Bladder inhibition or voiding induced by pudendal nerve stimulation at different frequencies (3 or 20 Hz) was studied in three female, chronic SCI cats under alpha-chloralose anesthesia. RESULTS Voiding induced by a slow infusion ...

Vulvar hematomas are uncommon outside of the obstetric population and may be the result of trauma to the perineum. Vulvar hematomas most often present with low abdominal pain and urologic and neurologic symptoms. The vulva has rich vascularization that is supplied by the pudendal artery, a branch of the anterior division of the internal iliac artery. We describe a rare case of a 15-cm-sized vul...

A 62-year-old woman presented with an 8-year history of chronic persisting pelvic pain. She described constant throbbing, stabbing vaginal pain. A pelvic floor neurophysiological assessment of the pudendal nerve was performed by performing a needle EMG to the left and right external anal sphincter assessing for insertional activity and recruitment pattern. A quantitative assessment of the motor...