Effectiveness of preoperative pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy: a meta-analysis

Background: Radical prostatectomy (RP) is the most common treatment for patients with localized prostate cancer. Urinary incontinence (UI) is a significant bothersome sequela after radical prostatectomy that may dramatically worsen a patient's quality of life. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is the main conservation treatment for men experiencing urinary incontinence; however, whether additional preoperative PFMT can hasten the reestablishment of continence is still unclear. The objective of this meta-analysis is to determine whether the effectiveness of preoperative plus postoperative PFMT is better than postoperative PFMT only for the re-establishment of continence after RP. Methods: A meta-analysis was performed after a comprehensive search of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Quality of the included studies was assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Efficacy data were pooled and analyzed using Review Manager (RevMan) Version 5.0. Pooled analyses of continence rates 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, using relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were conducted. For data deemed not appropriate for synthesis, a narrative overview was conducted. Results: Five eligible studies were ultimately included in this analysis. No significant differences in continence rates were detected at the early (1- and 3-month) time points: RR = 1.21, 95% CI = 0.71-2.08, P = 0.48; RR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.09-1.34, P = 0.34, respectively), interim (6-month time point: RR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.93-1.04, P = 0.59), or late recovery stage (RR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.67-1.29, P = 0.66). Outcomes reported were time to continence in two trials and quality of life in three, but results were inconclusive because of insufficient data. Conclusion: According to this meta-analysis, additional preoperative PFMT did not improve the resolution of UI after RP at early (<= 3-month), interim (6-month), or late (1-year) recovery stages. However, the results of time to continence and quality of life were inconclusive because of insufficient data. More high-quality RCTs are needed for better evaluation of the effectiveness of preoperative PFMT on post-prostatectomy UI.