Functional Restoration of Erectile Function Using End-to-side Autonomic-to-somatic Neurorrhaphy in Rats

Objective To investigate the feasibility of erectile function rehabilitation using end-to-side autonomic-to-somatic neurorrhaphy in rats. Materials and Methods Thirty-six adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups ( n = 12 per group): in the end-to-side coaptation group, the left L6 and S1 spinal nerves were transected, and the distal stump of L6 ventral root was sutured to L4 ventral root through end-to-side neurorrhaphy; in the no-coaptation group, the rats did not undergo coaptation; and in the control group, the left L6 and S1 spinal nerves were transected, but L6 ventral root was preserved. After 4 months, retrograde tracing, histomorphological technique, mating test, and evaluation of functional properties of the regenerated nerve were performed. Results Mating test showed a significantly higher intromission behavior rate in the end-to-side coaptation group (41.7%) and control group (58.3%) than in the no-coaptation group (0%) ( P