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Olivero et al. Mini-invasive Surg 2022;6:6 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2574-1225.2021.117 Page 7 of 10

Figure 1. Histogram of distribution of Trifecta outcome rate stratified by NS-approach groups: (A) percentage; and (B) count. NS: Nerve
sparing.

Figure 2. Histogram of distribution of Trifecta outcome rate stratified by age groups: (A) percentage; and (B) count.

Modern PCa surgery aims to achieve cancer control while minimizing its impact on patients’ QoL . Since
[21]
the introduction of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, there has been constant research on technical
improvements and technique refinements to improve functional outcomes [22-24] . Trifecta outcome is
considered a valuable tool to summarize the result of radical prostatectomy , and, since its introduction,
[5]
various series reported rates of achieving the outcome ranging from 23% to 86% [2,6,7,25] . The vast range
reported is a direct consequence of the heterogenicity adopted in defining the single outcomes. While the
definition of BCR as two consecutive PSA values of ≥ 0.2 ng/mL is standardized in the literature, the
definitions proposed for urinary continence and sexual function are various . Several authors used “no
[8]
[7]
leak” to define continence , while others classified continence according to the number of pads used
daily . The use of a single daily safety pad was often debated as an achievement of urinary continence and
[6]
has been adopted as a definition in several studies [26,27] . In our study, we chose to use only completely dry
patients to fulfill patients’ expectations; this led us to reduce our continence rate from 93.3% to 79.5%.