ProstateCancer??

The electrostimulation of the prostate gland was the subject of a discussion, which took place in a Prostate Cancer Research Symposium in Atlanta, in May 2006. An Australian doctor spoke on how castration affected nerve regeneration in rats, a method that used electrostimulation of the prostate.

Electrostimulation of the Prostate – Lab Rat Research

Lab rats went through a procedure called Cavernous Neurotomy, after which a nerve graft was done with genitofemoral nerves.

Scientists picked rats at random and divided them into three groups:
- One group was castrated
- The second received the hormone testosterone
- The third was left hormonally intact

Electrostimulation of the prostate nerve grafts was done after 3 months, and then the rats were analyzed.

The Australian scientists discovered that castrating the rats reduced the electrostimulation of the prostate nerve grafts.

Electrostimulation of the Prostate – Human Application

If we were to apply the conclusions to humans, it means that nerve grafts would be next to useless for patients who could require androgen deprivation therapy after prostate surgery.

A doctor from UC Davis suggested that during castration, some androgen sensitive cancer cells most likely escaped being killed.

Electrostimulation of the Prostate – Effect on Erectile Nerves

A German study examined 18 patients undergoing prostatectomy that spared the prostate nerves. Electrostimulation of the prostate was used to identify the nerves that caused an erection.

The goal of electrostimulation of the prostate was to improve intraoperative conditions to achieve better response after surgery. Researchers were hoping that this could somehow reduce the side effects of prostate surgery, particularly erectile dysfunction or impotence.

Different types of anesthetics were used during electrostimulation of the prostate. The study showed that the effect of the procedure varied across patients.

Electrostimulation of the Prostate – Significance of New Research

The use of electrostimulation of the prostate for rehabilitative purposes isn’t exactly a groundbreaking idea. Previously discovered treatments use transurethral electrostimulation to improve male sexual functions after surgery.

But these prior treatments stimulated the posterior part of the urethra and the seminal tubercle, both of which trigger the male erogenous zone. The German study, on the other hand, used electrostimulation of the prostate instead.

Research into such methods is important for doctors as a dysfunctional prostate can lead to the accumulation of semen. Accumulated seminal fluids in turn lead to blockage, which is what certain types of prostate surgery aim to correct in the first place.

For patients, however, the significance of research into electrostimulation of the prostate hits a little closer to home.