The Impact Of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training On Urinary Incontinence In Men After Radical Prostatectomy (RP) – A Systematic Review

Abstract

Agnieszka Strączyńska, Magdalena Weber-Rajek, Katarzyna Strojek, Zuzanna Piekorz, Hanna Styczyńska, Aleksander Goch, Agnieszka Radzimińska Department of Physiotherapy, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Bydgoszcz, PolandCorrespondence: Magdalena Weber-RajekDepartment of Physiotherapy, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, ul. Jagiellońska 13-15, Bydgoszcz 85-067, PolandEmail [email protected]: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) in the treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) in men after radical prostatectomy (RP).Methods: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies published in years 2000–2019. We included randomized controlled trials in English which compare clinic-based vs home-based PFMT, preoperative and postoperative PFMT, supervised vs unsupervised PFMT, and PFMT alone vs no treatment at all.Results: Eight articles were included in the final review. There was a total of 1078 patients aged 45–75 in all study groups. The study participants received radical retropubic prostatectomy or radical prostatectomy. Included studies assessed the following interventions: preoperative and postoperative PFMT, supervised vs home-based PFMT, unsupervised PFMT vs no treatment at all, and PFMT combined with resistance and flexibility exercises vs PFMT alone.Conclusion: PFMT is an effective treatment for urinary incontinence in men after radical prostatectomy. PFMT improves not only physical parameters but also the quality of life of men after RP.Keywords: pelvic floor muscle training, prostatectomy, urinary incontinence

Keywords

• pelvic floor muscle training
• prostatectomy
• urinary incontinence