Objective: Spinal cord injury often leads to the loss of penile sensation, and severely affects the individual’s sexual function. The present study aimed to restore the penile sensory pathway through end-to-side dorsal root (DR) transfer neurorrhaphy in rats, and preliminarily verified the feasibility of the operation.

Design: 40 male adult Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three groups. In the model (n = 20) and resection (n = 10) groups, the right L6 DR, S1 DR, and the contralateral branch of the dorsal nerve of the penis (DNP) were transected. The distal stump of L6 DR in the model group was then anastomosed to the intact L4 DR. The sham group (n = 10) was not subjected to neural damage. Four months later, retrograde and transganglionic neural labeling, morphological examination, immunofluorescence (IF), and ultrastructural observation were carried out to test the reconstruction of the afferent pathway. Reflective erection (RE) was assessed by detecting the intracavernous pressure elicited by DNP stimulation.

Results: The neural labeling tests indicated the integrity of the entire rebuilt penile afferent pathway. The morphological studies, IF, and ultrastructural observation showed that the regeneration of L6 axons in the model group was significantly better than that in the resection group; however, it had not reached the level of the sham group. The sham group rats exhibited typical RE following DNP stimulation, while the model and resection groups produced negative results.

Conclusion: Our studies demonstrated the feasibility of end-to-side DR transfer neurorrhaphy for restoring the penile sensory pathway in rats.

目的：脊髓损伤常导致阴茎感觉丧失，严重影响个体的性功能。本研究旨在通过端侧背根（DR）转移神经缝合术恢复大鼠阴茎感觉通路，初步验证了该手术的可行性。

设计：将 40 只成年雄性 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠分为三组。在模型组（n  = 20）和切除组（n  = 10）中，横断右侧 L6 DR、S1 DR 和阴茎背神经对侧支（DNP）。然后将模型组L6 DR的远端残端与完整的L4 DR吻合。假手术组 ( n  = 10) 没有受到神经损伤。四个月后，进行逆行和跨神经节神经标记、形态学检查、免疫荧光（IF）和超微结构观察，以测试传入通路的重建。通过检测 DNP 刺激引起的海绵体内压力来评估反射性勃起 (RE)。

结果：神经标记测试表明整个重建的阴茎传入通路的完整性。形态学研究、IF、超微结构观察显示，模型组L6轴突再生明显优于切除组；但是，它还没有达到假组的水平。假手术组大鼠在 DNP 刺激后表现出典型的 RE，而模型组和切除组产生了阴性结果。

结论：我们的研究证明了端到端 DR 转移神经缝合术在恢复大鼠阴茎感觉通路方面的可行性。