evaluation of the incidence and types of complications in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy based on own material

Introduction. Radical retropubic prostatectomy constitutes one of the major methods of treatment for clinically organ-confined prostate cancer. Numerous studies have reported different morbidities associated with this procedure. We assessed postoperative complications connected with radical retropubic prostatectomy in our series and compared them to the data obtained from the literature. Material and methods. We analyzed a consecutive series of 108 patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy between 01.01.2000 and 30.12.2005 in the Urology Department of the Regional Railway Hospital in Lublin. We evaluated intraoperative complications, early complications (within 1 month postoperatively) and late complications (after 1 month postoperatively.) results. There were no deaths in the studied group. Overall, there were 62 intraoperative and early complications observed in 51 (47.2%) patients undergoing the procedure. The main complication was intraoperative hemorrhage requiring blood transfusion observed in 44 (40.7%) patients. As for late complications urinary incontinence and anastomotic stricture was found in 12.1% and 13.7% of patients, respectively. All patients reported erectile dysfunction. Conclusions. Radical retropubic prostatectomy is a relatively safe procedure. Most patients were not affected by any postoperative complications and urinary continence 12 months after the procedure is consistent with the major referral centers.