AUA 2017: Effect of Dehydrated Human Amnion / Chorion Membrane Allograft on Urinary Continence Following Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (RARP)

Boston, MA (UroToday.com) The inflammatory response due to traction or stretch injury to the neurovascular bundle (NVB) during radical prostatectomy (RP) has been cited to exacerbate urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction post-RP. Dr. Hao Nguyen and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco, explores the use of AmnioFix in a retrospective review of 362 consecutive robot-assisted RP patients.

AmnioFix was applied to 138 (38%) patients undergoing RARP at an academic center, with the primary goal of decreasing time to continence recovery. In both time to pad-free status and overall pad status at follow-up, AmnioFix appeared to be advantageous. Those in the AmnioFix group reached pad-free continence at a mean of 2.84 months (64% reached <1 pads within 6 months), while the control group took an average of 3.20 months (only 48% reaching <1 pads within 6 months). After adjusting for PSA, prostate weight, nerve sparing, age, race, and CAPRA risk, AmnioFix significantly increased the likelihood of using <1 pads within 12 months post-RP (HR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.10 to 2.10, p=0.011).

Overall, this study was most limited by its retrospective nature and small sample size. The majority of RARPs performed with AmnioFix were done by a single surgeon at a single institution, preventing analysis of surgeon-dependent influencers. Further, nerve-sparing status and age were also independent predictors of better continence return following RARP. While the pre-emptive mitigation of injury to the NVB may be advantageous, nerve-sparing and age remain important determinant factors for continence. A multi-institutional, randomize control trial is necessary to evaluate the full impact of AmnioFix, after controlling for inter- and intra- surgeon factors.

Authors: Khaled Refaai, Hao Nguyen*, Ameli Niloufar, Wang Huiqing, Matthew Cooperberg, Peter Carroll, San Francisco, CA

Presented by: Hao Nguyen (MD) the University of California, San Francisco

Written By: Linda Huynh (BS), an assistant research specialist from the University of California, Irvine, on behalf of UroToday.com

at the 2017 AUA Annual Meeting - May 12 - 16, 2017 – Boston, Massachusetts, USA