The effects of a nerve-sparing procedure on urinary incontinence and sexual function among radical prostatectomy patients.

Urinary incontinence (UI) and sexual dysfunction are common complications among patients after radical prostatectomy (RP). Although a nerve-sparing procedure has been recommended to reduce these two complications, the benefits of this procedure still need to be examined in Taiwan. The purposes of this study were to describe and compare the changes over time in the urinary and sexual function of prostate cancer patients treated with or without nerve-sparing RP. In this study, a longitudinal pre-test and four post-test study designs were employed. In all, 62 prostate cancer patients who had undergone an RP were recruited from two hospitals in southern Taiwan. Structure questionnaires and one-hour pad tests were administered to the patients upon their first visit to the urological clinic (as baseline data) and at follow-up visits at the clinic 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after RP. All of the patients experienced UI and sexual dysfunction from the first month after undergoing an RP to 12 months. A two-way multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measurements indicated that the nerve-sparing procedure ( F = 4·41, p < 0·01) and time ( F = 12·47, p < 0·001) significantly affected the combined dependent of UI and sexual function. The results of a univariate analysis of variance indicated that the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores were significantly different for patients who underwent the nerve-sparing procedure ( F = 7·72, p = 0·001), but pad weights were not altered by the effects of the nerve-sparing procedure. Regarding the effects of time, the results demonstrated that both pad weights and IIEF scores changed significantly over time ( F = 12·47, p < 0·001). This study demonstrates that nerve-sparing positively affects sexual dysfunction, but that it exhibits limited benefit for UI in RP patients. These results can assist health care providers in providing patients with pre-operation information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]