[Anatomy of pelvic nerves and ileo-anal anastomosis].

The risk of sexual sequelae after proctectomy for inflammatory disease or polyposis is moderate, but real. The pelvic nerves can be easily spared at the sites where they are most frequently damaged, i.e. anterior to the sacral promontory and on the lateral walls of the pelvis. In contrast, damage to the cavernosal nerves situated on either side of the posterior surface of the prostate is more difficult to avoid, essentially because of the anatomy of these nerves is poorly understood.