Urinary incontinence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is one of the most bothersome complications affecting patients' daily lives.
The efficacy of the bladder neck plication stitch technique in promoting an earlier return of continence was prospectively evaluated in 158 patients who underwent RARP for clinically localized prostate cancer by a single surgeon at our institute from March 2012 to January 2013. Patients were randomized 1:1 to undergo surgery with (n = 79) or without (n = 79) the bladder neck plication stitch, and their time to recovery from incontinence, defined as being pad free, was compared. Recovery from incontinence at 1, 3, and 6 months were observed in 22 (27.8%), 42 (53.2%), and 57 (72.2%) patients, respectively, treated with, and 23 (29.1%), 47 (59.5%), and 59 (74.7%) patients, respectively, treated without the bladder neck plication stitch, with no significant difference in time to recovery from incontinence between the two groups. Multivariate analysis showed that age, membranous urethral length and shape of the prostatic apex on magnetic resonance imaging were independent predictors of early recovery from urinary incontinence after RARP. The bladder neck plication stitch had no effect on time to recovery from postoperative urinary incontinence following RARP.
Written by:
Choi SK, Park S, Ahn H. Are you the author?
Department of Urology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Reference: Asian J Androl. 2014 Nov 18. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.4103/1008-682X.139258
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 25432493