Vol. 45 (6): 1196-1203, November – December, 2019
doi: 10.1590/S1677-5538.IBJU.2019.0238
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Gislano Heverton Soares de Lira 1, Alexandre Fornari 2, Luiz Felipe Cardoso 2, Magda Aranchipe 2, Carmem Kretiska 2, Ernani Luis Rhoden 3
1 Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil; 2 Unidade de Disfunção Miccional, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil; 3 Departamento de Urologia, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
ABSTRACT
Aims: Radical prostatectomy (RP) can result in urinary incontinence (UI) and erectile dysfunction (ED), which negatively impact quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a perioperative pelvic fl oor muscle training (PFMT) program versus usual care on early recovery of urinary continence and erectile function after RP.
Materials and Methods: Of 59 eligible men, 31 were randomly allocated into 2 groups: Group 1 (Control, N=15) received usual post-RP care; and Group 2 (Physical therapy, N=16) received two pre-RP physical therapist-guided PFMT sessions, including exercises and electromyographic biofeedback, and verbal and written instructions to continue PFMT until RP, which was then resumed after urethral catheter removal. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Short Form (ICIQ-SF) and the 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire were used to evaluate UI and ED, respectively.
Results: Demographic characteristics were similar in both groups. Three months after RP, the UI rate was 72.7% and 70.0% in Groups 1 and 2, respectively (P >0.05). The severity and frequency of UI and its impact on QoL were evaluated by the ICIQ-Short Form, with scores of 6.9±6.26 in Group 1 and 7.0±5.12 in Group 2 (P >0.05). The IIEF-5 scores were similar in Groups 1 and 2 (5.73±7.43 vs. 6.70±6.68, respectively) (P >0.05).
Conclusion: Our pre-RP protocol of two physical therapist-assisted sessions of PFMT plus instructions did not signifi cantly improve urinary continence or erectile function at 3 months after RP.
Keywords: Prostatic Neoplasms; Urinary Incontinence; Erectile Dysfunction; Quality of Life
