Radical retropubic prostatectomy: complications and quality of life (429 cases, 1983-1989).

From March 1983 to December 1989 we have performed radical prostatectomy on 429 patients with prostate cancer. With 117 of the cases we performed the sparing nerve procedure. Follow-up was 6-72 months. Early postoperative complications concerned 36 patients (8.4%). We have not had any total incontinence. After a 6-month postoperative period we had a rate of 13.8 +/- 3% of stress incontinence with a confidence level of 95%. This percentage changed to 6.2 +/- 3% after a 12-month period. 33% of the patients after 6 months and 68.5% after 1 year reported full potency with similar pre- and postoperative quality of sexual intercourse. To manage localized prostate cancer it is important to know that with radical prostatectomy we can obtain an excellent quality of life with low morbidity even if the best management of localized prostate cancer is not resolved.