A neurovascular bundle is a structure that binds nerves and veins (and in some cases arteries and lymphatics) with connective tissue so that they travel in tandem through the body.
Because capillaries function as the sites for substance exchange between interstitial fluid and blood, they tend to have large surface area and short diffusion path.
Since arteries have high intraluminal blood pressure relative to capillaries and veins, these bundles have smooth muscle and connective tissue structures outside the endothelium.
The preservation of both neurovascular bundles during nerve-sparing (NS) radical prostatectomy improves urinary continence and erectile function.
[2] Consequently, NS is recommended in elderly men and those with pre-existing erectile dysfunction, whom many surgeons would previously have only offered non-NS surgery.