OBJECTIVES: Postoperative bladder dysfunction of varying severity is common after radical hysterectomy due to damage to the pelvic autonomic nerves during surgical resection. In order to reduce bladder morbidity, a new surgical technique known as nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (NSRH) has been proposed. The aim of this study was to describe the local experience in the use of NSRH technique in the treatment of early stage cervical cancer.

RESULTS: Twenty patients with early stage cervical cancer underwent NSRH, all with satisfactory results. The mean operating time was 198.5 minutes, ranging from 75 minutes to 319 minutes. The mean blood loss was 710 ml (range: 200 ml 1500 ml). The average period of hospitalization was 7 days. A total of 12 patients out of the 20 (60%) was discharged from the hospital without foley catheter, with ability to void spontaneously by the 4th day postoperatively.

CONCLUSION: The technique of serving the pelvic autonomic nerves employed in the treatment of early stage invasive cervical carcinoma is feasible, with an ability to provide a better quality of life in terms of bladder function, without sacrificing the radicality of the procedure. However, further studies clarifying neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the autonomic nervous structures of this region need to be done. (Author)