[Value of the neurovascular guide plate for pelvic surgery]

In the past few years great effort has been made to reduce the morbidity after oncologic operations in the small pelvis of the male. In this respect it is essential for urologic surgeons to orient themselves with the anatomic structures that mark the course of the important vessels and nerves. For this reason an anatomic study of the connective tissue in the male pelvis was performed in which dissections and serial sections were analyzed. The results show that the connective tissue in the male pelvis does not represent a monomorphic block but consists of several portions of varying density. The looser portions are also known as the "connective tissue spaces" of the pelvis. The comparatively dense portions--the so-called "vessel-nerve guiding plate" and its three "connective tissue pillars"--envelop the vessels and nerves supplying the corresponding pelvic organs. Therefore, they provide ideal landmarks for urologic surgery.