[Androgen deficiency after radical prostatectomy: a phenomenon overlooked in urological practice?]

Androgen deficiency following radical prostatectomy (RP) is a clinically uncharacterised and conceptually undefined phenomenon. Meanwhile, millions of men undergo RP annually, and if persistent hypogonadism truly developed in at least a subset of them, series of observations, cohort studies, and clinical guidelines would already exist. The absence of such evidence may reflect either a real problem, concealed at the intersection of urology and endocrinology, or the inherent untenability of the idea itself. To clarify this issue, a critical reappraisal of the hypothesis of persistent androgen deficiency as a potential consequence of RP is required. The focus of analysis is not on isolated findings but on the logic of their interpretation - ranging from alterations in endocrine profiles to proposed pathophysiological mechanisms, from diagnostic criteria to the rationale for replacement therapy and follow-up strategies. In each section, the emphasis shifts from simple fact-gathering to reconstruction of argumentation. The question is not merely what data exist, but whether they allow one to speak of a distinct clinical category. The objective of this article is not to refute the hypothesis, but to assess its validity as a scientific model aspiring to diagnostic and therapeutic significance.