Cavernous nerve graft reconstruction using an autologous nerve guide to restore potency.

Objective: To present our experience of cavernous nerve graft reconstruction, using an autologous nerve vein-guide technique, to restore potency.

Patients And Methods: Prostate cancers frequently require radical resection involving one or both cavernous nerves that usually results in erectile dysfunction; nerve grafting has been used to restore erectile function, but clinical results are unsatisfactory owing to inadequate surgical techniques. In all, eight patients with prostate cancer who required radical resection involving one cavernous nerve had sural nerve grafting, with two or three sutures using the autologous vein-guide technique, in our unit between 2004 and 2005.

Differential distribution of basement membrane type IV collagen alpha1(IV), alpha2(IV), alpha5(IV) and alpha6(IV) chains in colorectal epithelial tumors.

In this study, we examined the relationship between the histopathological grade and immunohistochemical localization of six genetically distinct type IV collagen alpha chains, the major component of basement membrane (BM), in normal and neoplastic colorectal tissues. In the normal colorectal mucosa, alpha1/alpha2(IV) and alpha5/alpha6(IV) chains were stained in all epithelial BM. However, alpha3/alpha4(IV) chains were restrictively immunostained in the BM of the apical surface epithelium.