Erectile Function Recovery After Nerve-Sparing Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer: Is Back to Baseline Status Enough for Patient Satisfaction?

Introduction Several definitions of erectile function (EF) recovery after bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (BNSRP) have been proposed based on the results of the International Index of EF (IIEF). Aim We aimed at evaluating overall satisfaction (OS) after BNSRP according to the ability to achieve the pretreatment EF. Methods We evaluated data of 652 patients treated with BNSRP for clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa). Erectile dysfunction (ED) was classified according to the IIEF-EF domain score. Return to baseline EF was defined as patients who reached the same preoperative ED category during the 3-year follow-up. Cox regression analyses were fitted to predict return to baseline IIEF-EF and to predict OS defined according to the IIEF-OS in the overall population. Logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze OS in men who reached the back to baseline status. Main Outcome Measures The outcome of the study was to evaluate back to baseline EF status and to correlate it with postoperative OS. Results Preoperative satisfaction was reported by 218 (33.4%) patients. Postoperative satisfaction was achieved by 103 patients. Overall, 383 patients were able to achieve the preoperative IIEF-EF score. However, only 26.9% reported being satisfied. Age and preoperative IIEF-EF score were significantly associated with baseline IIEF-EF recovery (all P ≤ .02). Patients who were able to return to baseline IIEF-EF were more likely to be satisfied (P < .001). Time elapsed between surgery and achievement of baseline IIEF-EF was significantly associated with OS (P < .001). Among patients who were able to achieve the baseline IIEF-EF score, a preoperative IIEF-EF of 22–25 and 26–30 was significantly associated with postoperative satisfaction (all P < .001). Conclusion After BNSRP, reaching the baseline IIEF-EF score is not always sufficient to obtain patient satisfaction. Only patients with a preoperative IIEF-EF ≥22 who reached the baseline score after surgery considered themselves satisfied. This should be taken into account in preoperative patient counseling.