Frequently Asked Questions > Recovery > What are common problems after prostate surgery?
Dr. Mani Menon has answered some of the most common questions about prostatectomy and robot-assisted surgery. Click on any of the questions here or use the search tool below to get the answers you're after.
What Are Common Problems After Prostate Surgery?
Here are some of the common problems patients who have prostatectomy face:
Infertility
You will not be able to have children in the traditional way following a radical prostatectomy. Most men who have prostate cancer are elderly, and this is not a concern for them. However, there is no damage to the testicles, your testicles will still produce sperm, and you may still be able to father children through assisted reproductive methods.
Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction—the inability to have and sustain an adequate erection for sexual intercourse—is a common side effect of prostate cancer surgery, since the nerves and blood vessels required for erections are affected during surgery. Patients who have a nerve-sparing robotic prostatectomy fare better than those who have traditional open prostatectomy. In one study, one third of patients who had open surgery were able to have sexual intercourse six months after surgery. However, over 90 percent of patients undergoing a nerve-sparing robotic radical prostatectomy (Dr. Mani Menon's Veil of Aphrodite procedure) eventually had return of erectile function.
Complications
Dr. Menon's team has seen complications occur in just 300 of the more than 5000 total patients they've treated. Most were minor. The most common has been burning or discomfort with urination (2%), followed by the need for a blood transfusion during surgery (1%).
Pain
Pain is part of all surgery, however, Dr. Menon's robot-assisted Vattikuti Institute Prostatecomy (VIP) results in far less pain than traditional open surgery. On a scale of 1 to 10—with 10 being the worst pain imaginable—patients who have an open prostatectomy rate their pain as a "7" up to one week following the surgery. Patients who have the VIP rate their pain as a "1" just 24 hours after surgery, and a "0" one week after surgery.
Incontinence
When the prostate is removed, one of the two muscles that normally controls urination also is removed. The second muscle will compensate for the first muscle over time. After an open prostatectomy, most men have mild-to-moderate urinary leakage that may last from 6 to 12 months. The majority of Dr. Menon’s patients regain total urinary control within 24 hours of removal of the suprapublic tube.
Last updated on September 3, 2010 by Dr. Mani Menon