Time course of neuroanatomical and functional recovery after bilateral pudendal nerve injury in female rats.

Am J Physiol Renal Physiol

Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Ave., ND20, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.

Published: November 2007

AI Article Synopsis

  • The pudendal nerve, which controls the external urethral sphincter, can sustain injuries during childbirth, potentially causing stress urinary incontinence (SUI).
  • Measurements showed significant drops in urethral leak-point pressure (LPP) immediately after nerve injuries, but functionality began to normalize by 2 to 6 weeks, indicating some recovery.
  • Analysis revealed early signs of nerve regeneration and recovery of the external urethral sphincter, but anatomical recovery was still incomplete after 6 weeks, suggesting that 2 weeks post-injury is a crucial timeframe for initial healing processes.

Article Abstract

The pudendal nerve innervates the external urethral sphincter (EUS) and is among the tissues injured during childbirth, which may lead to symptoms of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). To understand the mechanisms of injury and repair, urethral leak-point pressure (LPP) was measured 4 days, 2 wk, or 6 wk after bilateral pudendal nerve crush. Morphometric changes in the distal nerve and EUS were examined by light and electron microscopy. To determine whether recovery resulted from pudendal neuroregeneration, LPP was measured before and after pudendal nerve transection 2 wk after nerve crush. LPP was significantly decreased 4 days after pudendal nerve crush compared with sham-injured animals as well as 2 or 6 wk after nerve crush. LPP was not significantly different 2 or 6 wk after nerve crush compared with sham-injured animals, suggesting that urethral function had returned to normal. Four days after pudendal nerve crush, the EUS branch of the pudendal nerve distal to the injury site showed evidence of nerve degeneration and the EUS appeared disrupted. Two weeks after nerve crush, the distal nerve and EUS both showed evidence of both nerve degeneration and recovery. Two weeks after nerve crush, LPP was significantly decreased after nerve transection. Six weeks after nerve injury, evidence of neuroregeneration was observed in the pudendal nerve and the EUS. This study has demonstrated that functional recovery and neuroregeneration are significant 2 wk after nerve crush, although by anatomical assessment, recovery appears incomplete, suggesting that 2 wk represents an early time point of initial neuroregeneration.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528278PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.00176.2007DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

nerve crush
36
pudendal nerve
32
nerve
20
nerve eus
12
crush lpp
12
weeks nerve
12
pudendal
9
crush
9
functional recovery
8
bilateral pudendal
8

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!