[Urethro-vesical stenosis after radical prostatectomy]

Stricture of the urethrovesical anastomosis is an uncommon complication of radical prostatectomy, but it can affect the patient's quality of life. From January 1991 to December 1993, 50 patients underwent radical prostatectomy for clinically localised prostatic cancer (41 via a retropubic incision and 9 via a perineal incision). We retrospectively studied the influence of several factors on the incidence of anastomotic stricture: history of prostatic surgery, surgical incision, blood loss, pathological stage, presence of a contrast agent leak during follow-up urethrocystography, postoperative adjuvant treatment, oncological status at the time of the stricture. Seven patients developed clinically significant anastomotic stricture (14%). The time to onset was 1.5 to 10 months (median: 3 months). We were unable to demonstrate any pre-, intra- or postoperative or histological factors able to predict the development of anastomotic stricture. The transperineal approach appears to be associated with a lower incidence, but this finding must be confirmed in a larger series of patients. The seven patients with an anastomotic stricture were treated by endoscopic scalpel incision of the stricture, followed by insertion of a 22 F Foley catheter for 48 hours. No patient has developed a recurrent stricture with a mean follow-up of 8 months (0 to 13 months). Postoperative continence was normal in every case.