Survey on consenting practice and discussion of post-operative erectile dysfunction following rectal cancer surgery

Introduction: Sexual dysfunction is a recognized complication of rectal cancer surgery, due to the close proximity of the pelvic autonomic nerves to the normal plane of dissection. The consenting process should therefore always include the risk of sexual and urinary dysfunction arising after such surgery. This survey was undertaken to assess the consenting practice, and to evaluate the frequency of use of phosphodiesterase Type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) following rectal cancer surgery. Methods: All listed Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) members were invited to participate in the electronic survey, which comprised six questions. By 8 weeks, 119 responses had been received. Results: There were 112 respondents (94.1%) who routinely discussed the risk of ED during the process of gaining consent for rectal cancer surgery. There were 104 respondents (87.3%) who documented ED on their consent form. There were 24 respondents (20.2%) who indicated that there was no stated percentage risk for ED; and there were 69 (58.0%) and 26 (21.9%) respondents who quoted there was a 0–25% and 26–50% risk of ED during the consent process, respectively. None were quoting > 50% risk of ED. There were 68 respondents (57.1%) who routinely enquired about ED during follow-up. There were 30 respondents (25.2%) who stated that they had experience in prescribing PDE5 inhibitors for their patients who suffer from ED: We had 25 of them who felt that patients benefited from using PDE5 inhibitors. Conclusions: The majority of colorectal surgeons routinely discuss and document the risk of ED when consenting for rectal surgery; however, most surgeons have no experience in prescribing PDE5 inhibitors. This is an area that requires further study and education.