Table 1.

Robotic Nerve-Sparing Techniques and Potency Outcomes

Study	NS surgical technique	No. of patients	Mean/median age (years)	Potency definition	Potency 6 months, %	Potency 12 months, %
Menon et al.12	High anterior release	1142 (480 standard NS, 285 unilateral Veil, 377 bilateral Veil)	60.2	SHIM score ≥21	Not reported	40 vs 58 vs 70
Shikanov et al.22	Extrafascial vs interfascial	110 vs 703	58.5	Erection firm enough for sexual activity or intercourse	34 vs 47	40 vs 64
Potdevin et al.23	Interfascial vs athermal intrafascial	77 vs 70	58.6 vs 58.7	SHIM score ≥20	81.8 vs 43.8	90.9 vs 66.67 (9 months)
Kowalczyk et al.16	Antegrade; no countertraction vs countertraction	342 vs 268	59.6 vs 57.9	Erection firm enough for sexual activity or intercourse	45 vs 28.4	50 vs 54.2
Patel et al.25	Retrograde	332	58.5	SHIM score ≥21	86.1	89.7
Patel et al.24	Retrograde	404	58	SHIM score ≥21	81.7	91.5
Patel et al.14	Prostatic vasculature as a landmark for NS	133	60	Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed
Alemozaffar et al.18	Antegrade	400	59.8	Erection firm enough for sexual activity or intercourse	41 (17.82)	53 (29.1)
Ko et al.11	Antegrade RARP vs retrograde RARP	172 vs 172	57.9 vs 57.2	Erections firm enough for >50% of attempts of sexual activity or intercourse	72.1 vs 90.1	85.3 vs 92.9
de Carvalho et al.17	Retrograde release of the NVB with preservation of the DVC	128	63.5	SHIM score ≥17	82.3	86.7
Moschovas et al.15	Modified apical dissection and lateral prostatic fascia preservation vs standard RARP	103 vs 103	58.5 vs 58.4	Erection firm enough for sexual activity or intercoursea	66.7 vs 49.3	77.9 vs 66.7

^a With or without the use of PDE5 inhibitors.

DVC = deep venous complex; RARP = robot-assisted radical prostatectomy; NS = nerve-sparing; NVB = neurovascular bundle; PDE5 = phosphodiesterase type 5; SHIM = Sexual Health Inventory for Men.