Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy helps improve postoperative urinary continence recovery in patients with prostate cancer

Objective: To observe the recovery of urinary continence through postoperative rehabilitation training after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP) versus that after traditional laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP).

Methods: This study included 64 cases of urinary incontinence after surgically treated for PCa from May 2017 to February 2021, 32 by RARP and the other 32 by LRP as the controls. All the patients received standard urinary continence rehabilitation training and routine nursing care postoperatively, followed by comparison of the rate and time of urinary incontinence recovery and the patients' scores on the quality of life (QOL) and satisfaction with treatment between the two groups.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in age, PSA level or pathological stage between the two groups of patients (P > 0.05). After standard urinary continence rehabilitation training, the patients in the RARP group, compared with those in the LRP control, showed a lower grade of urinary incontinence (χ2 = 6.483, P = 0.039), a shorter mean duration of urinary incontinence per day, an earlier recovery of urinary continence (χ2 = 4.73, P = 0.030 at 1－3 months; χ2 = 12.696, P < 0.001 at 4－6 months), a higher rate of overall recovery (χ2 = 13.396, P = 0.004), and higher scores on QOL and satisfaction with treatment.

Conclusions: RARP can effectively improve the recovery from postoperative urinary incontinence in PCa patients.