[Advantages of nerve-sparing pelvic surgery. Animal experiments and clinical results]

Traditionally, oncological factors have been the only ones used in the evaluation of treatment outcome for urological tumor patients. With increased diagnoses of early, curable tumors in younger individuals, health-related quality of life and functional aspects are gaining importance. Sexual and urinary function are significant aspects of quality of life, which are especially vulnerable in urological patients. New insights into the anatomy and physiology of the pelvic organs have resulted in an improvement in surgical therapy. In this article, we present the results of current experimental and clinical studies, which underline the importance of nerve sparing techniques for maintaining a satisfying urinary and sexual function in this patient population.