Early Catheter Removal After Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy: Results from a Prospective Single-institutional...

The adoption of robotic technology in the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) could lead to improvement in outcomes.

To evaluate feasibility, to compare functional outcomes, and to assess the economic benefits of removing catheter on the postoperative day (POD) 3 versus POD 5 after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

From September 2016 to May 2017, patients selected to undergo RARP for clinically localized PCa at a high-volume center were prospectively randomized into group 1 (POD 3; n=72) versus group 2 (POD 5, n=74).

All patients underwent RARP with anatomical posterior and anterior reconstruction.

The primary endpoint was to compare acute urinary retention (AUR) and urinary leakage rate in the two groups. The secondary endpoints were early and mid-term postoperative functional outcomes assessed through questionnaires (ICIQ-MLUTS, IPSS), early continence rate, and postoperative pain/discomfort (visual analog scale score). The economic impact of early catheter removal was also assessed.

AUR was reported in two (1.4%) cases, one for each study group (p=0.9). One case of vesicourethral leakage was reported (0.7%) in group 1. Urethral discomfort and pain at discharge was significantly higher in group 2 (p=0.03). In our clinical practice, POD 3 catheter removal approach would determine a saving of approximately €80 000 and 405 d of hospitalization yearly. The main limitation is the small sample size.

Early catheter removal after RARP does not lead to an increase in perioperative complications. No negative effect on early and mid-term functional outcomes was observed. A significant impact on saving economic resources was reported.

We demonstrated that early catheter removal has no negative effect on spontaneous voiding, complications, or urinary continence recovery after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.