Neurodegenerative Effects of Monopolar Electrocautery on Myenteric Ganglia During Penile Surgery: A Preliminary Experimental Rabbit Study

Objectives Circumcision has been used for thousands of years with the belief that it is beneficial for sexual health and on religious grounds. The histopathological results regarding the neurobiological damage of this procedure have been rarely investigated. This study aimed to examine the potential adverse effects of circumcision, particularly the use of monopolar electrocautery, on pudendal nerve ganglia, Onuf's nucleus, and the myenteric plexus (Auerbach's ganglia) of the colon in rabbits. Methods Eighteen male rabbits were allocated to a control group (Group I, n = 5), and groups where circumcisions were performed without (Group II, n = 5) and with (Group III, n = 8) using monopolar electrocautery. The rabbits were followed up for 3 weeks and then sacrificed under general anesthesia. Penile tissues, Onuf's nucleus and pudendal fiber origin complexes, dorsal root ganglion at sacral 3 level, and neurons in the myenteric plexus of Auerbach in rectum were examined using stereological methods. Degenerated neuron densities (n/mm3) of S3 ganglia, ganglia of Auerbach's plexus, and Onuf's nuclei of male rabbits were compared. Results Degenerated neuron intensities (n/mm3) in pudendal ganglia, Onuf's nucleus, and myenteric ganglia were 9 +/- 3, 3 +/- 1, and 7 +/- 2 in GI; 17 +/- 5, 7 +/- 2, and 11 +/- 3 in GII; and 89 +/- 13, 24 +/- 5, and 45 +/- 8 in GIII. There were no statistically significant differences between the control group (GI) and the sham surgical circumcision group (GII) (p > 0.05). However, both GI and GII showed significantly lower levels of neuronal degeneration when compared to the electrocautery group (GIII) (p < 0.005 for GII vs. GIII; p < 0.00001 for GI vs. GIII). Conclusions Denervation of the pudendal nerve ganglia and Onuf's nucleus caused by surgical removal of the foreskin may also lead to neurodegeneration in the ganglia of Auerbach's plexus in the rectum innervated by this denervated network.

Journal

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE

Year

2025

Volume

2025

Issue

1

ISSN

1368-5031

eISSN

1742-1241

DOI

10.1155/ijcp/8849240

WoS UID

WOS:001595176100001

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