Ces Urol 1999, 3(4):27-30

Continence and erectile dysfunction following the radical prostatectomy. assessment by a correspondence questionnaire method

R. Fiala, F. Záťura

Urologická klinika Fakultní nemocnice Olomouc

Radical prostectomy is the only treatment by that the localized adenocarcinoma of prostate can be managed. However, this aggressive treatment may also cause longterm complications including particularly incontinence and erectile dysfunction, which significantly affect the quality of life of the individual patients. The frequency of these complications has been assessed in 63 patients who underwent the radical prostectomy in 1997. To explore these complications an anonymous questionnaire was sent by mail to the patients. This questionnaire is considered to be a more effective method when compared with the face-to-face interview. In this sample, 54 % patients gave the occurence of incontinence and as many as 80 % patients mentioned the erectile dysfunction. Nevertheless, 71 % patients evaluated their quality of life as very good and none of the patients shows dissatisfaction. This fact is probably associated with the wish to recover, which influences the evaluation of the importance of the postoperative complications for the patient's life.

Keywords: Radical prostatectomy, Incontinence, Erectile dysfunction, Questionnaire method

Published: September 1, 1999