Restoring Sexual Function After Radical Prostatectomy

Radical prostatectomy is major surgery that removes the entire prostate gland plus some surrounding tissue. It is carried out on patients having prostate cancer.

For the incision, doctors have two options:

1. it can be made through the abdomen and under the pubic bone, exposing the entire surface of the prostate, or
2. through the perineum, the skin between the scrotum and the anus.

For the full recovery the patient needs up to 12 weeks and, in 80 per cent of cases, radical prostatectomy can lead to impotence.

Impotence means you cannot have an erection and it is more likely if you're older. The severity of the impotence depends on the type of surgery, stage of cancer, and skill of the surgeon.

If the nerve-sparing technique is used, recovery from impotence may occur within the first year following the procedure. Recovery of impotence after a non-nerve-sparing surgery is unlikely, but possible.

The incidence of prostate cancer is very high in the Middle East, and more and more patients are looking to be cured not just oncologically, but also to obtain a sexual quality of life after surgery.

Sildenafil (Viagra) has been found to help restore potency on average in about a third of patients, but some men may recover better than others. In one study, about 80% of younger men potent before surgery and having then bilateral nerve sparing procedures responded to the drug. Viagra is unlikely to be effective for men who had unilateral or no nerve sparing procedures.

Middle East doctors are to prescribe Viagra to men recovering from prostate gland surgery, as the drug has been shown to speed up the recovery process. The fact that Viagra can restore sexual-function so soon after surgery is welcome news. In terms of sexual function, for prostate cancer sufferers this is fantastic.

Valerian D is a freelance writer specialized in health issues affecting men such as restoring sexual function after vasectomy

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