[Anatomy and physiology of autonomic pelvic innervations]

Autonomic innervation is responsible for the correct function of the organs in the pelvis. Retroperitoneal surgery is associated with trauma of the nerve structures. For this reason a detailed knowledge of topographic anatomy of the pelvis is needed, when surgery for oncological diseases or endometriosis is performed. Faster recovery, decrease of the number of postoperative complications and a better quality of life are the result of the nerve-sparing approach.