A prospective study of genito-urinary dysfunction after surgery for colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To establish the incidence of impotence and urinary dysfunction after different forms of pelvic and colorectal surgery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Over a period of one year, 78 consecutive patients, mean age 66.8 years (range 43-91 years), underwent surgery for colorectal cancer. Genito-urinary function was studied by clinical assessment and a postoperative questionnaire.

RESULTS

Pre-operatively all males except one claimed to be potent. Of the 56 patients who had operations on the sigmoid colon and rectum, 12 (21.4%) developed urinary dysfunction; 6 (5 males, 1 female) had increased frequency while 6 (4 females, 2 males) had stress incontinence. Four (12.9%) of the 31 male patients became impotent. Of the control 22 patients who had had operations on the ascending colon, one female developed stress incontinence and none of the male patients developed impotence.

CONCLUSION

Although the introduction of autonomic nerve sparing techniques and total mesorectal excision (TME) may have lowered the incidence of genito-urinary dysfunction after rectal surgery, there remains a degree of morbidity compared to procedures where the rectum is not mobilized.