Simple and reliable predictive factor for early recovery of urinary continence after non-nerve-sparing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

Post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence is one of the greatest concerns for both patients and urologists. The aim of this study is to elucidate simple and reliable factors contributing to early recovery of urinary continence (UC) and to develop a prediction model for early continence recovery after robot-assisted laparoscopic non-nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (non-NS RARP). A retrospective analysis of 212 consecutive patients who underwent non-NS RARP by a single surgeon was carried out. Early recovery of urinary continence was defined as using no pads or one security pad per day within 1 month. Preoperative membranous urethral length (MUL) was measured on MRI, and the urinary continence at the standing position (UCSP) after removal of the catheter was examined during cystourethrography 6 days after surgery. Multivariable analysis was performed to detect predictive and postoperative factors associated with early recovery of urinary continence. The early continence recovery rate was 56.1%. Multivariable analysis revealed that MUL ≥ 13 mm, UCSP, and age ≤ 67 were the independent factors for early continence recovery. Early recovery rates were 97.1% for good risk, 76.3% for intermediate risk, and 28.4% for poor risk when divided into three risk groups by the sum score of three independent factors. Preoperative MUL, UCSP, and age are independent predictors of early recovery of UC in non-NS RARP, and our simple prediction model with the combination of the three factors could be a useful tool in clinical practice.