Impact of penile rehabilitation with phosphodiesterase‐5 inhibitors on recovery of erectile function in patients undergoing robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy: A propensity score‐matched analysis

Objective To investigate the impact of penile rehabilitation on the recovery of erectile function after robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy. Methods Patients who underwent robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy in our department from 2010 to 2019 were included. For penile rehabilitation, a phosphodiesterase‐5 inhibitor (tadalafil 20 mg) was administered twice a week for 1–6 months postoperatively. The International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire (question 1 and erectile function domain) and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite questionnaire (sexual function) were used. Results After propensity score matching, there were 79 patients in the penile rehabilitation group and 79 patients in the non‐penile rehabilitation group. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between the two groups. Significantly higher scores were seen in the penile rehabilitation group compared with the non‐penile rehabilitation group at postoperative 3, 6 and 9 months in the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire‐question 1, at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months in erectile function domain, and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months in Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite questionnaire sexual function (P