The prognostic value of cystography-measured bladder capacity on very early continence rates after radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: To assess the utility and reliability of cost-effective cystography-measured bladder capacity as a prognostic tool for predicting very early continence recovery following radical prostatectomy. Additionally, the study aims to discuss the clinical implications of the findings, including their potential impact on patient management, postoperative rehabilitation strategies, and the development of personalized care pathways for prostate cancer patients.

Methods: In this prospective monocentric study, we analyzed 223 patients who underwent either robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) or open radical prostatectomy (ORP) between January 2022 and January 2024. Postoperative cystography was routinely performed 5 days after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and 7 days after open radical prostatectomy. Very early continence rates were determined using a standardized pad-test conducted on the first day following catheter removal. The bladder capacity during cystography was measured and documented for every patient. The correlation between the rate of continence recovery and the bladder capacity was then assessed. To determine other predictive factors for recovery of continence, several parameters were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis, including age, prostate volume, nerve-sparing technique and surgical procedure.

Results: Urinary continence rates at day 1 after catheter removal were 73.5% for patients who underwent RARP and 72.6% for patients who underwent ORP. A strong prognostic value of cystography-measured bladder capacity on very early continence rates was reported ( < 0.001), with a cut-off value calculated to be 140 ml of bladder capacity. After adjusting for additional variables such as age, surgical procedure, prostate volume and nerve-sparing technique, multivariate linear model analysis still found a strong correlation between cystography-measured bladder capacity and very early continence rates ( < 0.001).

Conclusions: The cystography-measured bladder capacity may be a good predictor of the recovery of post-prostatectomy urinary continence.