[Radical prostatectomy: surgical techniques and preliminary results]

Prostatic cancer (PC) is a frequent finding in aged men. In fact, 3% of males have the chance to die of PC. Radical prostatectomy by the retropubic approach with pelvic lymphadenectomy was made in 97 males. The treatment was performed in the urological department of the MSMSU urological chair from 1995 to 2001. 69 patients followed up for 3-64 months after the operation were eligible for analysis of the outcomes. The patients had the following PC stages: T1--11 patients, T2--44 patients, T3--14 patients. Prostate-specific antibodies ranged within 2.9-67.8 ng/ml (the mean level 16.7 ng/ml). The results of the treatment were satisfactory in 65 (94.2%) of 69 patients. The operation did not take more than 2.5 hours, mean blood loss was under 870 ml. Adequate urination after the catheter was removed resumed in 41 (59.4%) of 69 patients. Active urinary incontinence was observed within one year after the operation in 25 (36.2%) patients, total incontinence--in 3 (4.3%) patients. 51% patients retained the erectile function after nerve-sparing operation. Most of the patients had an unevenful postoperative period. During the follow-up 3 patients died of acute myocardial infarction (n = 1), intestinal cancer (n = 1) and distant PC metastases (n = 1). A postoperative fall in the PSA level under 0.3 ng/ml occurred in 49 (71%) patients, under 2 ng/ml in 7 patients (10%). In 19% of patients with pT2-3 the PCA rose over 2.0 ng/ml. Radical prostatectomy is indicated for patients with local prostatic cancer (stage T1 or T2) and probable survival from 10 to 15 years and longer. A nerve-sparing, sphincter-sparing and ablastic variant of this operation is widely used world-wide and is a method of choice for therapy of patients with retropubic prostatic cancer.