Division of the external urethral sphincter and potency in spinal cord injury patients

Endoscopic biopsy of the external urethral sphincter (internal membranous urethrotomy) was used first in England in 1956. A total of 258 patients underwent this operation for relief of outflow obstruction in the neuropathic bladder between 1956 and 1975. Recently, reports of postoperative impotence had appeared in the literature. A prospective study of 160 men undergoing division of the external urethral sphincter between 1975 and 1981 was done to determine if there was any effect on sexual function and to reassess the long-term results of the operation. Impotence has not been documented in any of these 418 patients. This study confirms previous reports on the reliability and simplicity of the operation.