To understand why you need an indwelling catheter after radical prostate cancer surgery, it is important to know what radical prostate cancer surgery is.
Radical prostate cancer surgery of any kind involves the surgical removal of all of the prostate, the urethra in the prostate, and the seminal vesicle gland and vas deferens to prevent the tumor from spreading.
Anatomically, the prostate is located between the bladder neck outlet and the urethral membrane. After prostate removal, an anastomosis between the bladder neck outlet and the residual urethra with an absorbable wire is required so as to ensure postoperative urination. In order to prevent urinary leakage after anastomosis as well as anastomotic stricture, a catheter should be left in place to keep the drainage open during the anastomosis.
Healing of the anastomosis takes about 10 to 14 days, so the catheter is usually left in place for 10 to 14 days and then removed, depending on how well the surgery was anastomosis and how well the postoperative drainage was. Therefore, catheters must be left in place for all patients after radical prostate cancer surgery.