PARIS, FRANCE (UroToday.com) - In clinical practice, 10% of patients fail to recover urinary continence (UC) within 1 year after radical prostatectomy (RP).
While the predictors for UC within 1 year after RP have been extensively studied, data on the factors for further recovery of UC in patients who do not achieve continence within 1 year are still lacking. This group evaluated the clinical prognosis of urinary incontinence and factors for the further recovery of UC in these patients.
Clinical data including UC status were prospectively collected, and evaluated in 708 consecutive patients with RP. Of patients, 73 (10.3%) did not recover UC within 1 year after surgery. For these patients, incontinence status and the number of pads required for urinary control were assessed serially. Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to determine predictors for further recovery of UC.
During the follow-up of 41.6 months from the baseline (at 1 year after surgery), 41 (56.2%) patients achieved UC with a mean time of 15.4 months. A younger age at surgery (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.60-0.97, p = 0.027) and only one pad being required (vs. ≥2 pads) at baseline (OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.02-0.89, p = 0.046) were identified as independent factors for achievement of UC within further 2 years. Only the number of pads was a significant factor for the further recovery of UC in the longer follow-up (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.14-0.90, p = 0.029).
Patient age and the number of pads required at 1 year following RP were associated with the further recovery of UC within 2 years. However, only the number of pads was a predictive factor for the further recovery of UC after this time point. These findings may provide physicians and patients with practical information that can be used in deciding whether a definite treatment is required for persistent incontinence beyond 1 year after RP.
Presented by Jeong SJ, Kim HJ, Lee JK, Lee BK, Oh JJ, Choo YM, Lee SC, Jeong CW, Yoon CY, Hong SK, Byun SS, and Lee SE at the 27th Annual European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress - February 24 - 28, 2012 - Le Palais des Congrès de Paris, Paris, France
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Dept. of Urology, Seongnam, Korea, South
View EAU 2012 Annual Meeting Coverage