title: Delayed recovery of urinary continence after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the rate at which patients regained urinary continence during our institution's early experience with laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The urinary continence of 34 patients was recorded at various intervals following laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. These data were compared with those from 49 patients who had undergone radical retropubic prostatectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For laparoscopic prostatectomy patients, 2.9% had regained urinary continence at 1 month, 29.4% at 3 months, 46.9% at 6 months, 56.0% at 9 months and 60.0% at 12 months. For retropubic prostatectomy patients, the corresponding rates were 22.4% at 1 month, 63.3% at 3 months, 84.1% at 6 months, 92.9% at 9 months and 92.9% at 12 months. Backward stepwise logistic regression analysis indicated that laparoscopic surgery itself significantly predicted urinary incontinence at every interval from 1 to 9 months following surgery (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients' postoperative recovery of urinary continence was not satisfactory in our early experience with laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Further efforts to elucidate the reason for this poor functional outcome are mandatory before the procedure is accepted as part of standard practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555, Japan. s-egpro@jcom.jhome.ne.jp
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Egawa
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuruma
authors.forename: Kazuho
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suyama
authors.forename: Masatsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwamura
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baba
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016496:Incontinence Pads; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014563:Urodynamics / Q000502:physiology*