Frequently Asked Questions > Recovery > Will I be incontinent 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.
Will I Be Incontinent After Prostate Surgery?
When the prostate is removed during a prostatectomy, one of the two muscles that normally control urination is also removed. The second muscle will compensate for the first muscle over time. Most men have mild-to-moderate urinary leakage that may last from 6 to 12 months. About a third of men experience urinary leakage of about one-to-two teaspoons per day with stress activities. This usually occurs only during heavy physical activity or an overly full bladder.
Patients who have Dr. Mani Menon’s Vattikuti Institute Prostatectomy (a nerve sparing robotic prostatectomy using the da Vinci™ robot) regain continence much faster than patients who have conventional surgery. The majority of Dr. Menon’s patients regain total urinary control within 24 hours of removal of the suprapubic tube. And 90 percent of patients who have the surgery are no longer experiencing major leakage within 8 weeks. Ten percent may leak a few drops of urine with physical activity.
The risk of complete incontinence is less than one percent. If this occurs, additional surgery can be done to correct it.
Last updated on March 9, 2012 by Dr. Mani Menon