Prospective predictors of urinary continence after anatomical radical retropubic prostatectomy: a multivariate analysis.

The aim of this work was to evaluate variables that predict time to pad-free urinary continence after anatomical radical prostatectomy (ARP). Sixty consecutive prostate cancer patients who underwent ARP by one surgeon were studied. Pad-free urinary continence was prospectively determined by patient interviews and confirmed on physical examination and by the urinary domain of the Extended Prostate Inventory Composite (EPIC) Health Related Quality of Life questionnaire. A time-dependent Cox multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine which variables significantly correlated with time to pad-free urinary continence. Increasing prostate size (cc), increasing prostate urethral length (cm) and surgical technique (wide excision of the neuro-vascular bundle) correlated with a significantly (P<0.05) prolonged time to achieve pad-free urinary continence. In conclusion, prostate size and surgical technique were the most useful variables in predicting time to pad-free urinary continence after ARP.