The Management of Urinary Incontinence after Radical Prostatectomy

Abstract

The management of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy is important because it decreases the quality of life of patients. This review article describes the current status of treatment for urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy.

Early post-radical prostatectomy incontinence is usually managed by conservation therapy. However, we consider surgical therapy for consistent or extreme urinary incontinence. The gold standard of surgical therapy is an artificial urethral sphincter and this is now covered by insurance in Japan. On the other hand, urethral slings that comprise the standard surgical approach to managing moderate urinary incontinence in other countries are not covered by insurance in Japan. Therefore, this article describes alternative therapies.