Interference pattern in perineal muscles: A quantitative electromyographic study in patients before and after transurethral surgery of the prostate

The study aimed at assessing alterations in muscular activity in the external urethral sphincter when the internal sphincter located at the bladder neck was resected during TUR‐P, and at determining whether activity in the external urethral sphincter increased to compensate for the loss of the internal sphincter. Perineal muscles were examined with quantitative EMG recordings, including interference pattern and fiber density before and after surgery. Fiber density increased in the external urethral sphincter after surgery. This indicates a reinnervation in the muscle, probably due to a peripheral nerve lesion that occurs during TUR‐P, and may also explain the reduction in penile erectibility observed after surgery. The lack of compensatory activity in the external urethral sphincter expressed as unchanged number of turns may be explained as a disturbed feedback mechanism and a decreased central activation or to the lithotomy position at examination. The internal part of the external sphincter not available for measurement may compensate for the loss in bladder‐neck sphincter function. Neurourol. Urodynam. 16:101–109, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.