Retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP) is now established as the gold standard surgical management for localized prostate cancer [1,2]. However, the role of RRP has become more complex because a greater focus has been placed on patient- and cancer-specific considerations, especially those related to the balance between oncologic and functional outcomes. Unfortunately, the majority of patients who undergo RRP for prostate cancer experience treatment-related complications, especially postprostatectomy urinary incontinence (PPUI), which has a significant impact on patient quality of life [3].

RRP involves removal of the prostate and formation of a new connection between the urethra and bladder. Prostate removal is achieved by antegrade or retrograde processing, and anastomosis between the urethra and bladder is performed using a continuous or interrupted suture. In the case of open RRP, an interrupted suture is usually used, but the widespread use of laparoscopy has contributed to the proportion of procedures conducted using a continuous suture [4].

In general, cystography is performed between 1 and 2 weeks after RRP to confirm urinary leakage (UL) at the anastomosis site. One of the most common short-term complications of RRP is UL [5]. In several studies, the incidence of UL has been reported to be as high as 10% [6]. The consensus opinion is that UL does not seem to affect long-term PPUI, but early continence may be delayed due to UL, and patients with anastomotic leakage have a higher incidence of PPUI [7,8]. However, it remains unclear how the degree of UL affects urinary incontinence after RRP, and no reports on this relationship have been published in Korea.

We retrospectively analyzed the incidence and severity of UL in 53 patients who had undergone RRP at our center. These patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of anastomotic UL immediately after surgery and compared with respect to possible factors responsible for UL. Moreover, the association between UL and PPUI was investigated.

Fifty-three patients who had undergone RRP were included in the study. The mean patient age was 68.8 years (range, 67–70 years), mean BMI was 24.5±2.9 kg/m², and mean prostate size was 40.1±18.6 mL. Six patients (11.3%) had a preoperative PSA >20 ng/mL, and pathological organ-confined disease was observed in 31 patients (58.5%).

UL was detected during postoperative cystography inspections in 30 patients (56.6%); six had mild, 12 had moderate, and 12 had severe leakage. The longest period of catheterization was 38 days, which was observed in three patients. These three patients were evaluated for incontinence 1 month after removal of the Foley catheter. The mean catheterization periods for mild, moderate, and severe UL were 13.0, 17.0, and 20.1 days, respectively.

Times to catheter removal were significantly different between UL and non-UL groups (9.7±0.9 vs. 20.6±7.5, p=0.001) (Table 1). However, other perioperative characteristics and outcomes were similar. Furthermore, no significant intergroup difference was observed for pathologic data, including pathologic stage, mean Gleason score, and positive surgical margin (Table 1).

Incontinence rates at 1 and 3 months postoperatively were significantly different between UL and non-UL groups (83.3% vs. 52.2%, p=0.014 and 76.7% vs. 47.8%, p=0.030, respectively), but no significant difference was observed at 6 months (Table 2). The degree of UL was not found to influence the duration of incontinence (Table 2). In patients with severe UL, the incontinence rate at 12 months was 16.7%.

By logistic regression analysis, anastomotic UL was found to be the only significant predictor of urinary incontinence (odds ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.973–11.207; p=0.045) (Table 3). There were no significant factor of PPUI at 6 and 12 months (Tables 4, 5).

PPUI is a major complication of RRP and has a substantial impact on patient’s quality of life because it affects physical activity and social well-being. The reported incidence of PPUI varies from 4% to 69% [9,10], depending on multiple factors such as age, preoperative voiding status, sphincteric functional competence, perioperative bladder function, and operative factors [10-13].

The pathophysiology of PPUI is not fully understood, although several studies have suggested that intrinsic bladder sphincter deficiency, underactivity, neural injury [14,15], defects in urethral support [16], shortening of membranous urethral length, and venous sealing effects underlie the condition [17,18]. Research efforts have resulted in several surgical advances, especially the nerve-saving technique, which was recently evaluated in a large European patient cohort [19].

Although UL does not seem to affect long-term incontinence, it has been associated with early PPUI [7,8]. Consistently, in this study, the incontinence rates were significantly higher in the UL group compared to the non-UL group during the first 3 postoperative months; however, no significant intergroup difference was observed at 6 months postoperatively. Furthermore, anastomotic UL was identified as a significant prognostic factor of urinary incontinence in the early postoperative period following RRP. These findings indicate that given the absence of UL through a defective anastomotic site, adequate urinary drainage after RRP is essential to promote healing of the vesicourethral anastomosis.

In the current study, the proportion of cases with UL after RRP (56.6%) was higher than has been previously reported [20,21]. At our center, in cases of UL post-RRP, the Foley catheter is removed at 1 to 2 weeks postoperatively, depending on the degree of UL. Thus, sphincter function at the anastomosis site is likely to be abnormal during the early period. All of our patients received continuous anastomosis, and thus, approximation was more precise than that achieved using interrupted sutures. Leakage is more likely in incompletely sutured regions when interrupted sutures are used but may also occur due to loosening of the approximation with continuous anastomosis. If the Foley catheter indwelling period is sufficient, contracture is less likely during healing, and the healing period is reduced. However, when continuous suturing is performed using an open approach, the distance between 5 and 7 o’clock in the posterior anastomosis area tends to be greater than that in the anterior anastomosis area. This might have contributed to the higher prevalence of UL after RRP in the present study. Since RRP cases were performed by a single surgeon with less than 60 cases of experience, it was also considered a very important cause.

There were 12 patients with severe UL, and 2 (16.7%) of them experienced mild incontinence 1 year after RRP. These patients used only one pad per day and had no obstructive symptoms, such as a weak urine stream or hesitancy, which are the main symptoms of bladder neck contracture. Despite a short follow-up period, we were able to conclude that serious UL did not necessarily cause bladder neck contracture.

This study is limited by its retrospective, single-center design, and relatively small sample size. In fact, many factors affect PPUI, including the length of the preserved urethra after surgery, preservation of the bladder neck, sphincter injury, and preoperative voiding status. However, our study shows that postoperative cystographic UL does not develop into long-term incontinence and that in this era of robotic surgery, a continuous anastomosis suture procedure can be adopted during open RRP. No association has been previously reported between incontinence and urethrovesical anastomosis leakage in Korea.

Cystographically detected anastomotic UL was associated with higher rates of early urinary incontinence. However, continence rates were much improved 6 months after RRP in patients with anastomotic UL after surgery and the severity of UL did not affect the duration of postoperative UI.