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Background To determine the benefit of pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) with visual biofeedback on promoting patient recovery from incontinence, we investigated variables associated with the early restoration of continence for patients who robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Methods Of the 83 patients enrolled, 41 consecutive patients completed PFME (the exercise group), and the other 42 consecutive patients just before the PFME program commenced (the control group). The primary outcome was whether PFME engagement was associated with zero pad continence restoration within 3 months of surgery. Results Continence restoration percentages (defined as zero pads used per day) at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery were 49.4%, 77.1%, and 94.0%, respectively. The exercise group achieved significantly higher recovery rates at 1 month (p=0.037), 3 months (p70 years old (p=0.002) benefited significantly. Conclusion This study suggests that postoperative engagement in PFME with biofeedback speeds up the recovery of continence in elderly patients (≥65 years old) that undergo RARP.

Background This study compared the following three endoscopic techniques used to treat bladder stones: transurethral cystoscope used with a pneumatic lithoclast or nephroscope used with a pneumatic lithoclast and nephroscope used with an ultrasonic lithoclast. Methods Between January 2013 and May 2016, 107 patients with bladder stones underwent endoscopic treatment. Patients were classified into three groups based on the endoscopic techniques and energy modalities used in each group as: group 1 (transurethral stone removal using a cystoscope with pneumatic lithoclast), group 2 (transurethral stone removal using a nephroscope with pneumatic lithoclast), and group 3 (transurethral stone removal using a nephroscope with ultrasonic lithoclast). Baseline and perioperative data were retrospectively compared between three groups. Results No statistically significant intergroup differences were observed in age, sex ratio, and stone size. A statistically significant intergroup difference was observed in the operation time—group 1, 71.3±46.6 min; group 2, 33.0±13.7 min; and group 3, 24.6±8.0 min. All patients showed complete stone clearance. The number of urethral entries was higher in group 1 than in the other groups. Significant complications did not occur in any patient. Conclusion Nephroscopy scores over cystoscopy for the removal of bladder stones with respect to operation time. Ultrasonic lithoclast is a safe and efficacious modality that scores over a pneumatic lithoclast with respect to the operation time.

With the enthusiasm regarding robotic application in radical prostatectomy in accordance with the widespread use of serum prostate-specific antigen as a screening test, the number of surgeries performed for complete removal of the gland is increasing continuously. However, owing to the adjacent anatomical location of the prostate to the nerve and urethral sphincter complex, functional recovery, namely improvement from post-prostatectomy incontinence (PPI) and post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction, still remains a main problem for patients who are reluctant to undergo surgery and tend to choose alternative ways instead. Since the late 1980s, the introduction of radical prostatectomy by open surgical modalities, the depth of the anatomical understanding of the structure surrounding the prostate is getting tremendous, which leads to the development of new surgical modalities and techniques that are consequently aimed at reducing the incidences of PPI and erectile dysfunction. Briefly, recent data from robotic radical prostatectomy, particularly on PPI, are quite acceptable, but by contrast, the reported potency regain rate still remains