Prostate Surgeons Studying Device to Minimize Risk of Impotence

Some prostate cancer surgeons are testing a new device designed to help them preserve the nerves needed for potency during prostate cancer surgery.

Baylor College of Medicine is one of six U.S. centers studying the CaverMap' Surgical Aid.

"Removal of the prostate is an extremely effective treatment for cancer if the disease hasn't spread beyond the prostate, but impotence is often a side effect of the surgery," says Dr. Kevin M. Slawin, director of the Baylor Prostate Center and head of the study at Baylor.

The impotence results from severed cavernosal nerves which control the ability to have an erection. Two bundles of these microscopic nerves run along the sides of the prostate, one each on the right and the left. But they can be difficult to identify with just the naked eye, Dr. Slawin says.

The CaverMap' Surgical Aid consists of a probe that stimulates the area around the prostate with an electrical current. If this area contains erectile nerve tissue that functions, a signal is sent to a sensor placed around the base of the penis. This signal enables the surgeon to identify the exact location of those nerves. However, even when identified, these nerves sometimes need to be removed.

"Our primary objective is to remove the cancer, and there are some cases where we cannot avoid cutting out the cavernosal nerves along with the prostate to ensure we remove all of the tumor," Dr. Slawin says. "Fortunately, there are numerous ways to restore erectile function in men adversely affected, including Viagra', the recently released pill to treat impotence."

Baylor researchers are also studying the effectiveness of nerve-grafting to bridge the gap in a cavernosal nerve when it has to be removed.

They will also evaluate whether the device can help identify the most appropriate nerve fibers to use for nerve-grafting.

"If this new surgical aid is successful at reducing the incidence of impotence after prostate surgery, we will have a better chance of treating patients successfully by maintaining high cancer-cure rates, but also without significantly decreasing their quality of life," Dr. Slawin says.

The study is sponsored by UroMed Corporation, manufacturer of the CaverMap' Surgical Aid.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 184,000 American men will be diagnosed this year with cancer of the prostate, the walnut-sized sex gland that makes the fluid to carry sperm. More than 39,000 men will die, making prostate cancer the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men.

- B. J. ALMOND

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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