[Clinical evaluation of postoperative urinary incontinence after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: "cross sectional...

A cross-sectional study for certain symptoms of postoperative incontinence was done for patients who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) using our original self-administered questionnaire. A total of 104 patients, who underwent LRP from April 2002 to March 2005 in our institute and related hospitals, participated in our questionnaire study. Mean age and median observation period was 64.6 years old (range 51-74) and 18 months (range 3-36). The patients were classified into "D group" (disappearance of incontinence during 3 months after LRP) and "C group" (continuous incontinence more than 3 months). Then age, body mass index, preoperative PSA level, status of voiding, defecation and potency were compared. Patients with incontinence were divided according to observation period into "short period group" (S group; 3-11 months), "intermediate period group" (IM group; 12-23 months) and "long period group" (L group; more than 23 months). Incitant factors of incontinence, status of taking pads and QOL score were compared. There were no differences between the D and C groups at any measurements. About 40% of incontinence patients were pad-free, although most of these patients did not satisfy the status of voiding. The incitant factor in 90% of the S group was "cough or sneeze", but that in the L group was "without notice" (about 40%) and "too late to toilet (voiding)" (about 25%). After all, postoperative QOL score was still lower in the patients with incontinence regardless of its volume. Further study to revolutionary improve incontinence is required.