A 68-year-old man complains of pain upon urination. A CT scan and a biopsy provide evidence of an enlarged, cancerous prostate gland. Subsequently, he undergoes a radical prostatectomy. Postoperatively, he suffers from urinary incontinence because of paralysis of the external urethral sphincter. Which of the following nerves was injured during the operation?

The perineal branch of the pudendal nerve is responsible for the innervation of the external urethral sphincter, and injury to this nerve can result in paralysis of the sphincter and urinary incontinence. Pelvic splanchnic and sacral splanchnic nerves are autonomic nerves that do not supply skeletal muscles in the urogenital region. The gluteal nerves innervate gluteal muscles.