Evaluation and Management of Postprostatectomy Incontinence: A Systematic Review of Current Literature.

CONTEXT: Radical prostatectomy is the most common reason for male stress urinary incontinence. There is still uncertainty about its diagnostic and therapeutic management.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate current evidence regarding the diagnosis and therapy of postprostatectomy incontinence (PPI).

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic review of the literature was performed in October 2015 using the Medline database.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Diagnosis and conservative treatment of PPI are currently mostly based on expert opinions. Pelvic floor muscle training is the noninvasive treatment of choice of PPI. For invasive management of moderate to severe PPI, the artificial urinary sphincter is still the treatment of choice, but an increasing number of adjustable and nonadjustable, noncompressive as well as compressive devices are used more frequently. However, no randomized controlled trial has yet investigated the outcome of one specific surgical treatment or compared the outcome of different surgical treatment options.

CONCLUSIONS: The level of evidence addressing the surgical management of PPI is still unsatisfactory. Further research is urgently needed.

PATIENT SUMMARY: Incontinence after the removal of the prostate (postprostatectomy incontinence) is the most common cause of male stress urinary incontinence. First-line therapy is physiotherapy and lifestyle changes. If no satisfactory improvement is obtained, various surgical treatment options are available. The most commonly used is the artificial urinary sphincter, but other treatment options like male slings are also available.