Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026
Retzius-Sparing Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy
Published on: May 19, 2022
Prostate weight and early potency in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy
Thomas E Ahlering1, Adam G Kaplan, David S Yee
1Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange, California 92868, USA. tahlerin@uci.edu
Objectives:
Using an athermal technique for nerve preservation we noted that approximately 40% are potent compared with approximately 60% who are not at 3 months after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RLP). In an attempt to understand this difference, we examine factors potentially influencing potency at 3 months.
Methods:
Of 300 consecutive RLPs, we identified 139 men who met preoperative inclusion criteria: age
Results:
At 3 months, 53 subjects (38%) were potent. Univariate and multivariate analysis demonstrated no effect for IIEF-5 score, body mass index, nerves spared, estimated blood loss, hypertension, diabetes, use of cholesterol-lowering agents, and lifestyle issues. Prostate weight (43.3 vs 51.4 g, P = .038) and age (55 vs 57, P = .03) were significant in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis only prostate weight was predictive of potency (P = .04). To ascertain a possible relation between traction nerve injury and prostate weight, analysis between prostate weight groups and potency demonstrated an inverse relationship.
Conclusions:
Low prostate weight was the only factor found to correlate with early return of potency. Our data also suggest that increasing prostate weight increases the risk of delay in potency recovery.
