Electrophysiological Research On Sensory Restoration In Reconstructed Penis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility and mechanism of sensory restoration of the reconstructed penis and to explore a new surgical technique to improve the postoperative sensory function in phallic reconstruction. Firstly, Electrophysiological method was used to definitude the segmental distribution of the origin of the somatic fibers in the phallic sensory nerves of rabbits. Sensory nerve implantation was applied to establish the animal model of sensory restoration in phallic reconstruction, in which one lateral saphenous nerve graft was dissected as the donor nerve and anastomosed to one lateral dorsal nerve of the rabbit's penis by end-to-end, and subsequently embedded in a superficial epigastric faciovascular pedicle flap for phalloplasty. Then the process of sensory recovery and nerve regeneration was evaluated by single nerve fiber recording and neugenic plasma extravasation method. Results showed that: 1) The rabbit's sensory nerve fibers of the penis are origined from S2,S3 spinal nerves. 2) The new technique of phalloplasty established in this study can regenerate functional nerve and recover the sensory function of the reconstructed penis to a certain extent. These findings can provide theoretic and experimental basis for its clinical application to fulfill the sensory restoration of the reconstructed penis.