Nerve Graft Surgery

In order to retain sexual potency after prostate cancer surgery, one or both of the nerve bundles (there are two nerve bundles, one on each side of the prostate gland) must be spared, or not removed, during surgery.

Some men who may be interested in a nerve-sparing procedure may not be able to have this procedure because of the size of their cancer. If your surgeon tells you that a nerve-sparing procedure cannot be done, ask about the possibility of doing a nerve graft.

In this procedure, your surgeon will take a nerve from the ankle area and, using micro-surgical techniques, splice it to the cut ends of the nerves in place of the section (the nerve bundles) that was removed along with your prostate gland.

A nerve graft must be done at the same time as the prostatectomy, and, if the procedure works, men usually see an improvement in potency within a year or two.

This is a procedure that is not done at many medical centers, but SCCA/UW Medicine surgeons are leaders in the Northwest in nerve grafts.