In the clinic
It may be necessary to perform radical surgery to cure cancer of the prostate. To do this, the prostate and its attachments around the base of the bladder, including the seminal vesicles, must be removed en masse. Parts of the inferior hypogastric plexus in this region give rise to nerves that innervate the erectile tissues of the penis. Impotence may occur if these nerves cannot be or are not preserved during removal of the prostate.