title: Evaluation of urinary extravasation and results after continence-preserving radical retropubic prostatectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the feasibility of urinary catheter removal 10 days after a radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) by assessing the incidence of urinary extravasation and its effect on postoperative stricture and continence rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a 4.5-year period, 619 patients undergoing RRP were evaluated. If no extravasation was detected on gravity cystography, the urinary catheter was removed 10 days after RRP. In patients with significant extravasation the catheter was left in place for 3 weeks. Overall stricture and continence rates were recorded in patients at 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was extravasation during cystography in 29 patients (4.6%). At 3, 6 and 12 months, continence rates after catheter removal at 10 days were 74.9%, 87.9%, and 93.6%, respectively, while in the late-removal group they were 72.4%, 84.6% and 90.9%, respectively, with no significant difference between the groups. At 3 months the overall continence rate was 74.8% and at 12 months up to 93.5%. There was no difference in stricture rates between the groups, with an overall stricture rate of 0.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Catheter removal 10 days after RRP is feasible, giving excellent early and late continence rates, with low anastomotic stricture rates obtained using good surgical technique. Extravasation at 10 days was rare and with proper management did not influence the final results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Innsbruck University, Austria. medvark3@yahoo.com
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varkarakis
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wirtenberger
authors.forename: Germar-Michael
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Pinggera
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harabayashi
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bartsch
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Horninger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D014546:Urinary Catheterization; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016055:Urinary Retention / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*