Neurophysiological evaluation of sexual dysfunction in patients operated for colorectal cancer

Sexual dysfunction after colorectal cancer surgery may be severe and occurs in 25% to 100% of cases. Thirty-eight patients underwent colorectal resect ion; eight (21%) who were totally impotent and two (5%) who had ejaculatory failure were therefore studied to better understand the neurophysiological alterations related to this type of surgery. The patients were evaluated after surgery with electrophysiological testing , including examination of the sacral reflex (SR), pudendal somatosensory e voked potential (PEP), and motor evoked potential (MEP) responses. Sudomoto r skin response (SSR) was also studied in a group of patients. Of the 38 pa tients studied, 29 showed abnormalities: six of SR, three of PEP, six of ME P, and fourteen of SSR. Only a combination of all these tests permits corre ct evaluation of the sexual dysfunction.