[Lower urinary tract dysfunction following nerve sparing radical hysterectomy: A systematic review]

Radical hysterectomy represents the cornerstone in the management of localized cervical cancer. Despite its oncologic efficacy, radical hysterectomy is associated with a significant amount of complications and a negative impact on quality of life. Surgical technique seems to influence the functional outcomes.

A systematic review to provide an update on the lower urinary tract dysfunction following nerve sparing radical hysterectomy.

An initial search was carried out to identify articles for further review, using Cochrane reviews and PubMed and Embase databases. The search terms used were: "nerve sparing" and "cervical cancer" or "radical hysterectomy". The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses process for reporting included and excluded studies was followed, with the recommended flowchart showing the numbers of papers identified and included or excluded at each stage.

Twenty-nine clinical studies were included. The absence of a standardized surgical technique for nerve sparing radical hysterectomy and the poor methodological quality of the studies assessing lower urinary tract dysfunction after such intervention limited clear conclusions. However, all studies reported lower incidence of urinary tract dysfunction, urodynamic abnormalities and clean intermittent catheterization following nerve sparing radical hysterectomy compared to conventional technique.

Nerve sparing radical hysterectomy is associated with reduced lower urinary tract dysfunction. A standardization of the surgical technique for nerve sparing radical hysterectomy, tailored to each individual is necessary to allow its wide spread diffusion.