Neurological correlations of ejaculation and testicular size in men with a complete spinal cord section

Abstract

This study was of 135 patients with a complete spinal cord section suffered from loss of ejaculation. The spinal cord injuries were classified following the upper and the lower limits of the lesion. The volume of the testes of the patients and of 13 normal control subjects were measured. Physostigmine allowed 75 patients to ejaculate and 15 of them procreated. The possibility of ejaculation after physostigmine mainly depended on the integrity of the T12-L2 metamers. The testicular volume was significantly smaller in patients with a lesion including the T12 metamer than in patients with a lesion sparing the T12 metamer. Six patients with a lesion including the T12 metamer had testicular atrophy. This suggests that T12 segment plays a role in testicular function in paraplegic patients.