Climacturia and Penile Length Shortening: Adverse Outcomes following Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy

While erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence are commonly cited side effects following radical prostatectomy (RP), climacturia and penile length shortening are less explored. The present study seeks to explore the incidence, risk factors, and predictors of recovery associated with climacturia and penile length shortening following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). From September 2018 to January 2020, 800 patients underwent RARP for primary treatment of localized prostate cancer. A survey was sent to patients following 1-year follow-up assessing outcomes of continence, erectile dysfunction, climacturia, and penile length shortening. Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe incidence and risk factors and logistic regression modeling was used to identify predictors associated with recovery. Of the 800 patients surveyed, 339 (42%) and 369 (46%) patients responded, with 127/339 (37.5%) and 216/369 (58.5%) endorsing climacturia and penile length shortening. In univariate analysis, a lack of bilateral nerve sparing was associated with climacturia; high body mass index (BMI), high prostate weight, lack of nerve-sparing, and high pathologic stage was associated with penile length shortening. In logistic regression modeling, BMI, prostate weight, and p-stage were all significantly correlated with penile length shortening. Recovery from climacturia was associated with a preoperative International Index of Erectile Function-5 score >21. When patients were asked to rank the importance of these outcomes compared to erectile dysfunction and incontinence, <5% of patients ranked either climacturia or penile length shortening as a high priority following RP. While incidence of climacturia and penile length shortening following RP is significant, impact on patient- and partner-related quality of life are low in comparison to risks of erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.