Preservation of the neurovascular bundles is associated with improved time to continence after radical prostatectomy but not long-term continence rates: Results of a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Context The aetiology of urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy (RP) is incompletely understood. In particular, it is unclear whether there is a relationship between neurovascular bundle (NVB) sparing and post-RP urinary continence. Objective To review systematically the association of NVB sparing in RP with postoperative urinary continence outcomes and synthesise the results in a meta-analysis. Evidence acquisition This study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis statement. PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched (December 2013), yielding 3413 unique records. A total of ..