The following is a summary of “Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) in the Evaluation of Functional Outcomes After Three-dimensional Laparoscopic Prostatectomy,” published in the FEBRUARY 2023 issue of Urology by Haapiainen, et al.
For a study, researchers sought to determine the suitability of using the visual analog scale (VAS) to assess functional outcomes following a 3D laparoscopic prostatectomy (3D LRP).
Between December 2013 and September 2018, 200 men who underwent 3D LRP for localized prostate cancer were enrolled in the study. In October 2019, patients were sent EPIC-26 surveys and VAS scales to evaluate urinary (VAS-incontinence) and sexual (VAS-sexual) symptoms. The correlations between the EPIC-26 survey and VAS scales were evaluated.
The EPIC-26 survey calculated scores for incontinence-(EPIC-26 UI) and sexual (EPIC-26-sexual) domains using the University of Michigan scoring system. In addition, patients marked their experience of continence and potency on the 10 cm long horizontal line in the VAS questionnaires. The correlation between the two methods was analyzed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient.
The median scores were EPIC-26-UI 79.25 (14.5-100), EPIC-26-sexual 36.17 (0.0-100), VAS-incontinence 8.8 cm (1.4-10.0), and VAS-sexual 3.2 cm (0.0-10). The correlation coefficient between EPIC-26 UI and VAS-incontinence was 0.722 (95% CI, 0.63-0.79; P <.0001), and 0.883 (95% CI, 0.84-0.91; P <.0001) between EPIC-26-sexual and VAS-sexual.
This study demonstrates a strong correlation between VAS and EPIC-26 urinary incontinence and sexual domains. The VAS scale may serve as a simple tool in daily clinical practice to evaluate key functional outcomes of radical prostatectomy.
Source: goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(22)01059-7/fulltext