Anatomical studies on the pudendal nerve in the Indian buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

This is a study of the origin, formation, course and distribution of the pudendal nerve (N. pudendus) in the Indian buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). The pudendal nerve originates from the union of the ventral rami of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th sacral spinal nerves. The largest contribution comes from the 3rd sacral nerve (13,284 +/- 844.45 fibres). The number of fasciculi, their area and arrangement, the total fibre count and the diameter spectra of the myelinated nerve fibres in N. pudendus and its rami have also been studied. There are as many as 7-98 fascicles at different levels of this nerve. The mean value of the area of the fascicles ranges from 0.244-4.684 mm2. The histograms of the myelinated nerve fibres are unimodal at all the selected levels with a peak around 2-4 micrometer. Of the myelinated fibres 72.47-86.72% are in the range of 2-4 micrometer.