Urethral catheter removal 7 or 14 days after

REV. HOSP. CLÍN. FAC. MED. S. PAULO 59(5):262-265, 2004

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

URETHRAL CATHETER REMOVAL 7 OR 14 DAYS AFTER RADICAL RETROPUBIC PROSTATECTOMY: CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS AND COMPLICATIONS IN A RANDOMIZED STUDY

Carlos Ary Vargas Souto, Ernani Luis Rhoden, Rafael De Conti, Mário Chammas Jr., Sandro Eduardo Laste, Alexandre Fornari, Eduardo Porto Ribeiro, Liana Scholl, Claudio Teloken and José Carlos Stumpf Souto

SOUTO CAV et al. Urethral catheter removal 7 or 14 days after radical retropubic prostatectomy: clinical implications and complications in a randomized study. Rev. Hosp. Clin. Fac. Med. S.Paulo 59(5):262-265, 2004. PURPOSE: To evaluate the hypothesis that a 7-day period of indwelling catheter after radical retropubic prostatectomy is effective and safe without the need of performing cystography. METHODS: In the period from January of 2000 to July of 2002, 73 patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy, and these patients were prospectively randomized in 2 groups: Group 1–37 patients who had the urethral catheter removed 7 days after the procedure, and Group 2–36 patients who had the catheter removed 14 days after the surgery. The 2 groups were similar, the surgeons and the technique were the same, and no cystography was performed to evaluate the presence of leaks. RESULTS: Two patients in Group 1 had bleeding and clot retention after having the catheter taken out in the seventh postoperative day and were managed by putting the catheter back in for 7 more days. Two patients in Group 2 developed bladder neck stricture and were treated by bladder neck incision with success. The continence rate was the same, with 2 cases of incontinence in each group. About 2 pads a day were used by the patients with incontinence. The average follow-up was 17.5 months (12-36 months). No urinary fistula, urinoma, or pelvic abscesses developed after catheter removal. Two patients were excluded from the analysis of this series: 1 died with a pulmonary