ABSTRACT
Successful radical prostatectomy (RP) strives to optimize three competing goals: extirpation of the tumor with clear margins, minimizing damage to the continence mechanism, and preservation of potency. The anatomical radical prostatectomy operation has undergone numerous refi nements aimed at balancing these opposing interests since being fi rst described by Walsh.3,4 Still, recent data show that even in large volume centers, only 60% of patients are cancer-free, continent, and potent 2 years following contemporary radical prostatectomy.5
