title: Urinary symptoms after robotic prostatectomy in men with median lobes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We report on the natural history of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and urinary continence in patients with median lobe enlargement (MLE) after robotic radical prostatectomy (RP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients treated with RP from October 2008 to March 2012 completed American Urological Association symptom index (AUAI) and continence assessments at the preoperative visit and each postoperative visit. Two cohorts were established based on the presence or absence of a median lobe intraoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 698 validated questionnaires were completed by 175 patients with a median of 4 AUAI scores per patient. The 36 patients (21%) with MLE required a longer time to achieve urinary continence (P = .05, log-rank test), although ultimately, no difference was seen in long-term continence probability between the two cohorts (P = .63). On multivariate analysis, the presence of a median lobe reduced the odds of early continence recovery (P = .02). By use of a generalized estimating equation, the cohort-average AUAI scores after RP are presented. Patients with MLE had faster improvement in LUTS after surgery, whereas those without MLE had temporary worsening in LUTS before improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with MLE have a different natural history of LUTS and continence after RP as compared with patients without this finding. Therefore, radiographic or cystoscopic evaluation for the presence of a median lobe before RP may improve patient counseling about urinary outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery (Urology), MSC 10 5610, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. SShah@salud.unm.edu.
authors.forename: Satyan K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Trisha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fleet
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Betty
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Skipper
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D059411:Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012371:Robotics; D014554:Urination