Nerve‐sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer. The pros and cons

Since the precise description of the course of the cavernous nerves dorsolateral to the prostate by Walsh and Donker in 1982, a trend has emerged to offer a “nerve‐sparing” procedure to potent males diagnosed with localized prostate cancer. This detailed review of the literature focuses on the potency results attained by this operation, reviews the shortcomings of this approach in terms of cancer eradication and continence, and attempts to define the optimal candidate for such a procedure. Cancer 1995;75:1944‐8.