Sexual Potency after Radical Prostatectomy

Abstract

Systematically acquired data on preservation or loss of sexual potency after radical prostatectomy have not been reported frequently. The hospital records of 62 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy [for prostatic cancer] between 1968 and 1978 were reviewed. No notation as to preoperative potency was found in the records of 74% of the patients. Of 14 patients who affirmed preoperative potency, 6 (43%) reported normal erections and resumption of sexual intercourse postoperatively. The mean age of these 6 men was significantly less than the group as a whole (P < 0.01). An adequate sexual history should be elicited before any prostatic operation, and certainly in advance of radical prostatectomy. Sexual potency may be retained after radical prostatectomy far more often than previously presumed. Urologists should be aware of the sexual interests and competency of their aging male patients, and encourage continuation of sexual activity after radical prostatectomy.