Pudendal, but not tibial, nerve stimulation modulates vulvar blood perfusion in anesthetized rodents

Introduction and Hypothesis Preclinical studies have shown that neuromodulation can increase vaginal blood perfusion, but the effect on vulvar blood perfusion is unknown. We hypothesized that pudendal and tibial nerve stimulation could evoke an increase in vulvar blood perfusion.

Methods We used female Sprague-Dawley rats for non-survival procedures under urethane anesthesia. We measured perineal blood perfusion in response to twenty-minute periods of pudendal and tibial nerve stimulation using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI). After a thoracic-level spinalization and a rest period, we repeated each stimulation trial. We calculated average blood perfusion before, during, and after stimulation for three perineal regions (vulva, anus, and inner thigh), for each nerve target and spinal cord condition.

Results We observed a significant increase in vulvar, anal, and inner thigh blood perfusion during pudendal nerve stimulation in spinally intact and spinalized rats. Tibial nerve stimulation had no effect on perineal blood perfusion for both spinally intact and spinalized rats.

Conclusions This is the first study to examine vulvar hemodynamics with LSCI in response to nerve stimulation. This study demonstrates that pudendal nerve stimulation modulates vulvar blood perfusion, indicating the potential of pudendal neuromodulation to improve genital blood flow as a treatment for women with sexual dysfunction. This study provides further support for neuromodulation as a treatment for women with sexual arousal disorders. Studies in unanesthetized animal models with genital arousal disorders are needed to obtain further insights into the mechanisms of neural control over genital hemodynamics.

Brief Summary In an anesthetized rodent model, electrical stimulation of the pudendal nerve will drive increases in vulvar blood perfusion while tibial nerve stimulation will not.