Long-Term Continence Outcomes in Men Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy: A Prospective 15-Year Longitudinal Study

A significant decrease in urinary continence rates was observed between baseline and 2 years, and between 2 and 15 years in the entire cohort. Urinary continence rates in age matched men in the general population who were followed longitudinally for 15 years were comparable to those in our study population. This suggests that while open retropubic radical prostatectomy causes primarily sphincteric urinary incontinence, it may be protective for subsequent benign prostatic hyperplasia mediated urinary incontinence.