Robotic assistance significantly improves continence rates in radical prostatectomy: Study

Robotic assistance compared to classical laparoscopy significantly improves the continence rates following nerve sparing radical prostatectomy. The recent study was presented at the 35th European Association of Urology (EAU) Virtual Annual Meeting in 2020.

The researchers from Germany analysed the potential differences in the clinical outcomes following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (R-LRPE) and conventional laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRPE). This was the first trial which presented the differences in the continence rates between the two procedures in a prospective randomised control trial. Continence was defined as patients not requiring pads at all for at least 3 consecutive days.

After ethical committee approval and obtaining informed consent, the trial detected difference of 3 month continence rates with 80% power and significance level 5% in 782 patients. Patients who experienced the procedures were recruited from 4 clinical sites in Germany. They were randomized in the ratio of 3:1 for R-LRPE and LRPE. Patients were blinded until 3 months following surgery and were required to maintain daily recordings of pad consumption until then. Follow-up was carried out on 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 months postoperatively. The continence rates were analysed by time-to-event-analyses.