The outcome of radical prostatectomy for patients with prostate cancer and acute urinary retention.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed medical condition in older men. As a consequence, acute urinary retention can occur in patients with preoperative prostate cancer. Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy as a treatment modality for prostate cancer was designed to decrease operative morbidity and minimize long-term morbidity such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Three patients with prostate cancer coexisting with a BPH-related urinary retention managed with a clean intermittent catheterization (patient #1), and an indwelling Foley catheter (patients #2 and #3), were treated with a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. After the procedure, the patients were able to void spontaneously, with good urine flow and reasonable bladder emptying.