Urol. praxi. 2026;27(3):144-148 | DOI: 10.36290/uro.2026.030

Current treatment options for urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy: from rehabilitation to implantable systems

MUDr. Martin Pollák1, MUDr. Pavel Navrátil, Ph.D., FEBU1, 2
1 Urologická klinika, Fakultní nemocnice Hradec Králové
2 Lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy v Hradci Králové

Urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy remains one of the most important functional complications of prostate cancer treatment. Although surgical technique and perioperative care continue to improve, a subset of patients experience persistent urine leakage long after surgery. Effective management requires differen­tiation between predominantly stress incontinence and urgency-predominant or mixed symptoms, together with assessment of leakage severity, spontaneous recovery over time, prior radiotherapy, possible urethral or vesicourethral patho­logy, and patient expectations. Contemporary treatment is stepwise: in the early postoperative period, conservative management based on supervised pelvic floor muscle training and supportive measures remains the cornerstone, whereas persistent moderate or severe stress urinary incontinence should prompt consideration of surgical treatment. The artificial urinary sphincter remains the reference option with the highest probability of complete or social continence, albeit at the cost of a higher likelihood of revision procedures. Male sling systems provide a less invasive alternative for carefully selected patients, particularly those with mild-to-moderate leakage and no prior radiotherapy. More recent studies also suggest a potential role for electrical stimulation and other neuromodulatory approaches as adjuncts to pelvic floor rehabilitation. The aim of this review is to summarise current diagnostic and therapeutic options for post-prostatectomy incontinence with an emphasis on practical use in everyday urological practice.

Keywords: radical prostatectomy, urinary incontinence, post-prostatectomy incontinence, artificial urinary sphincter, male sling, pelvic floor muscle training.

Accepted: October 21, 2026; Published: October 21, 2026  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Pollák M, Navrátil P. Current treatment options for urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy: from rehabilitation to implantable systems. Urol. praxi. 2026;27(3):144-148. doi: 10.36290/uro.2026.030.
Download citation

References

  1. Farraj H, Alriyalat S. Urinary incontinence following robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy: a literature review. Cureus. 2024;16(1):e53058. doi: 10.7759/cureus.53058. Go to original source...
  2. Gacci M, De Nunzio C, Sakalis V, et al. Latest evidence on post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence. J Clin Med. 2023; 12(3):1190. doi: 10.3390/jcm12031190. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  3. Jing Q, Gu J, Li Z, et al. Prostatectomy postoperative urinary incontinence: from origin to treatment. Precis Med Sci. 2023;12(4):224-232. doi: 10.1002/prm2.12121. Go to original source...
  4. Kovacevic N, Padmanabhan P. Surgical management of post prostatectomy incontinence. Prostate Int. 2024;12(2):65-69. doi: 10.1016/j.prnil.2024.04.005. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  5. Anding R, Comiter C, Tse V, et al. Current surgical management of postprostatectomy incontinence - workup, options and decision making. Continence. 2023;8:101044. doi: 10.1016/j.cont.2023.101044. Go to original source...
  6. Park JJ, Hong Y, Kwon A, et al. Efficacy of surgical treatment for post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Int J Surg. 2023;109(3):401-411. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000000170. Go to original source...
  7. Tang G, Liu M, Chen X, et al. Effectiveness of electrical stimulation for treating male urinary incontinence after prostatectomy: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Int J Surg. 2025;111(9):6351-6361. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000002685. Go to original source...
  8. Sacco E, Campetella M, Marino F, et al. Preoperative risk factors for failure after fixed sling implantation for postprostatectomy stress urinary incontinence (FORESEE): a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Urol Open Sci. 2025;77:58-77. doi: 10.1016/j.euros.2025.05.012. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  9. Breyer BN, Kim SK, Kirkby E, et al. Updates to incontinence after prostate treatment: AUA/GURS/SUFU guideline (2024). J Urol. 2024;212(4):531-538. doi: 10.1097/JU.0000000000004088. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  10. Niu J, Wang Y, Wang Y, et al. Electroacupuncture in patients with early urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(9):e2534491. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.34491. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  11. Li Y, Li X, Yang Q. Effectiveness of artificial urinary sphincter to treat stress incontinence after prostatectomy: a meta-analysis and systematic review. PLoS One. 2023;18(9):e0290949. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290949. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  12. Johnson A, Mossack S, Tsambarlis P. Artificial urinary sphincters for moderate post-prostatectomy incontinence: current research and proposed approach. Cancers (Basel). 2023;15(18):4424. doi: 10.3390/cancers15184424. Go to original source...
  13. Heesakkers J, Martens F, Thiruchelvam N, et al. Results at 1 year from SATURN, a European, prospective, multicenter registry for male stress urinary incontinence surgery. Eur Urol Focus. 2024;10(5):818-825. doi: 10.1016/j.euf.2024.04.003. Go to original source...
  14. Roth I, Hjelle KM, Johansen CJ, et al. Primary and revision artificial urinary sphincter for stress urinary incontinence post-radical prostatectomy: a surgery with high rewards but high risks? Scand J Urol. 2024;59:185-189. doi: 10.2340/sju.v59.42340. Go to original source...
  15. Giammò A, Ammirati E. Long-term survival rate of ATOMS implant for male stress urinary incontinence and management of late complications. J Clin Med. 2023;12(6):2296. doi: 10.3390/jcm12062296. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  16. Carvalho AP, Silva AB, Lebani BR, et al. Clinical and urodynamic results of the Argus T sling in moderate and severe male stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy: a 5 year prospective study. Int Braz J Urol. 2023;49(4):452-461. doi: 10.1590/S1677-5538.IBJU.2023.0003. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  17. Yanaral F, Gültekin MH, Halis A, et al. Adjustable male sling for the treatment of postprostatectomy stress urinary incontinence: intermediate-term follow-up results. Cureus. 2023;15(8):e43280. doi: 10.7759/cureus.43280. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  18. Constable L, Abrams P, Cooper D, et al. Synthetic sling or artificial urinary sphincter for men with urodynamic stress incontinence after prostate surgery: the MASTER non-inferiority RCT. Health Technol Assess. 2022;26(36):1-152. doi: 10.3310/TBFZ0277. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  19. Angulo JC, Giammò A, Queissert F, et al. The effectiveness of the adjustable trans-obturator male system (ATOMS) in radiated patients is reduced: a propensity score-matched analysis. BJUI Compass. 2024;5(4):506-514. doi: 10.1002/bco2.329. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  20. Angulo JC, Téllez C, Giammò A, et al. Results of adjustable trans-obturator male system in patients with prostate cancer treated with prostatectomy and radiotherapy: a multicenter study. J Clin Med. 2023;12(14):4721. doi: 10.3390/jcm12144721. Go to original source...
  21. Chow PM, Agrawal-Patel S, Wood H, et al. Prior male sling does not affect outcomes of artificial urinary sphincter. BJU Int. 2024;133(5):564-569. doi: 10.1111/bju.16282. Go to original source...
  22. Chen S, Wang S, Liu S, et al. Efficacy of electrical pudendal nerve stimulation versus pelvic floor muscle training in treating postradical prostatectomy urinary incontinence: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2023;13(1):e062323. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062323. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  23. Chen Y, Jin X, Hong Q, et al. Electrical pudendal nerve stimulation for post-radical prostatectomy urinary incontinence: a prospective study. Am J Mens Health. 2025;19(4):15579883251352657. doi: 10.1177/15579883251352657. Go to original source...




Urology for Practice

Madam, Sir,
please be aware that the website on which you intend to enter, not the general public because it contains technical information about medicines, including advertisements relating to medicinal products. This information and communication professionals are solely under §2 of the Act n.40/1995 Coll. Is active persons authorized to prescribe or supply (hereinafter expert).
Take note that if you are not an expert, you run the risk of danger to their health or the health of other persons, if you the obtained information improperly understood or interpreted, and especially advertising which may be part of this site, or whether you used it for self-diagnosis or medical treatment, whether in relation to each other in person or in relation to others.

I declare:

  1. that I have met the above instruction
  2. I'm an expert within the meaning of the Act n.40/1995 Coll. the regulation of advertising, as amended, and I am aware of the risks that would be a person other than the expert input to these sites exhibited


No

Yes

If your statement is not true, please be aware
that brings the risk of danger to their health or the health of others.