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Objective: Radical prostatectomy is associated with complications including urinary incontinence. A significant association between specific features of the vesicourethral anastomosis and urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to identify the most useful predictor of postoperative urinary incontinence after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) according to the features of the vesicourethral anastomosis as determined by postoperative cystography., Materials and Methods: The final study cohort consisted of 150 patients. Postoperative cystography was performed within 1 week after RALP. The ratio between the longitudinal and horizontal lengths (L/H) of the bladder, the position of the urethrovesical junction (UVJ) and the bladder neck angle as seen on the cystogram were evaluated. Postoperative continence status was evaluated by a 1 h pad test 1 day after catheter removal and by the use of safety pads, retrieved retrospectively from patient records. The association between these variables and urinary incontinence was then analyzed. All patients were followed for at least 1 year postoperatively., Results: The continence rates on the 1 h pad test and 1 month and 1 year after RALP were 31.3%, 56% and 93.3%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, urinary incontinence was significantly associated with nerve sparing, L/H and the vesical angle as determined on the 1 h pad test, but only with the vesical angle at 1 month and 1 year postoperatively., Conclusion: A narrow vesical angle measured on cystography is a useful predictor of postoperative urinary incontinence after RALP.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sexual activity and sexual function using questionnaires distributed to middle-aged Japanese patients with localized prostate cancer., Methods: A total of 145 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy were enrolled in the survey reported on herein. Sexual activity and sexual function were investigated via the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) and an original self-reported questionnaire., Results: Of participants, 24.1% and 20.7% had sexual activity within a month period as investigated via the EPIC and original questionnaire, respectively. However, 29.7% of all those who reported sexual activity rate reported "about once every 2 months to a year," as shown in the original questionnaire. Regarding sexual function as addressed through EPIC, no results within that questionnaire's measure of sexual function showed significant differences among patients with a rate of actual sexual activity., Conclusions: The present survey showed that more than quarter of preoperative middle-aged Japanese prostate cancer patients surveyed had actual sexual activity, though not within the preceding 4 weeks. To precisely evaluate sexual function of middle-aged Japanese patients, it is necessary to consider actual sexual activity.

Introduction: No studies have shown whether the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is superior to the conventional protocol after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP). We compared intestinal function and perioperative parameters of patients with prostate cancer after the ERAS and conventional protocols to determine the superior protocol for recovery of intestinal function., Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 198 consecutive patients who underwent RALP between August 2013 and June 2015 was conducted. Our study design included 2 cohorts. Patients underwent conventional care in one group (n = 123) and the ERAS protocol in the other group (n = 75). The primary outcome was the time to first defecation. Secondary outcomes were perioperative parameters and the complication rate., Results: The ERAS group showed a significantly shorter time to first defecation than did the conventional group (p = 0.006). Multivariate analysis showed that selection of the ERAS protocol was significantly associated with the number of days for first time to defecation., Conclusions: Successful application of an ERAS protocol was applied to our patients who underwent RALP and did not have major complications. The ERAS protocol included enhanced intestinal recovery. The ERAS group showed a significantly shorter time to first defecation than did the conventional group., (© 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the pathological features of prostatectomy specimens from patients with low-risk prostate cancer eligible for active surveillance (AS) and evaluate preoperative data suitable for predicting upstaged (≥pT3) or upgraded disease (Gleason score of ≥7), defined as 'reclassification'., Methods: A retrospective analysis of 521 consecutive radical prostatectomy procedures (January 2005 through to December 2011) performed at our institution without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy was performed. Eighty-four patients fulfilled the following criteria-clinical T1 or T2 disease, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of ≤10 ng/ml, one or two positive biopsies, and Gleason score of <7. Clinicopathological features at diagnosis were compared between patients with and without reclassification after radical prostatectomy., Results: Forty of 84 patients (47.6 %) had a Gleason score of ≥7, and 8 (9.5 %) had upstaged disease (≥pT3). Seven patients with upstaged disease also showed upgraded reclassification. Two patients with reclassification showed biochemical recurrence at 59 and 89 months after surgery, respectively. Preoperative parameters evaluated included age, PSA level, PSA density (PSAD), clinical T stage, and number and percentage of positive prostate cores. Among 82 patients with complete data, univariate analysis showed that PSAD (ng/ml(2)) was a significant parameter to discriminate patients with reclassified disease and those without reclassified disease (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that PSAD was the only independent variable to predict disease with reclassification (p = 0.006)., Conclusions: Preoperative PSAD may be a good indicator for selecting patients eligible for AS in the Japanese population.