Introduction: To determine the perioperative complications and morbidity of radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) and to analyze risk factors for observed complications. Materials and Methods: Data of 1,000 patients undergoing RRP and pelvic lymphadenectomy (pLA) performed by different surgeons of the same hospital were collected. Uni- and multivariate analysis was performed to detect associations between intra- and postoperative complications and specific variables. Results: Relevant intraoperative complications were observed in 28 cases and relevant postoperative complications in 187 cases requiring reoperations in 46 patients. Diverse minor postoperative complications occurred in 75 cases. The surgeon’s experience and the operating time significantly influenced the incidence of intraoperative complications. Extended pLA was associated with significantly higher rates of lymphoceles and reoperations. The patients with lymphocele showed significantly higher rates of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE) and reoperation and patients with DVT a higher incidence of PE and a higher rate of reoperations. The incidence of anastomotic strictures correlated significantly with postoperative urine retention. Conclusions: RRP is a safe surgical procedure. In the hands of experienced urologic surgeons it is associated with lower incidences of severe intraoperative complications. A substantial proportion of postoperative complications are associated with pLA and its extension.

232 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction were treated either with 2 x 10(6) IU urokinase as an intravenous bolus injection, or 250,000 IU streptokinase intracoronary, or 60 mg recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) over 90 min. All patients enrolled had chest pain for more than 30 min and less than 3 h before admission and a typical electrocardiogram. Contra-indications to thrombolytic treatment were absent. All bleeding complications occurring within 24 h after admission were assumed to be due to thrombolytic therapy. Bleeding complications occurred in 14 patients (6.5%). Only seven patients received a blood transfusion (3%). No correlation was evident between previous hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, sex, age, fibrinogen level before and 24 h after thrombolytic therapy and bleeding complications. The risk of bleeding was not significantly different between the different thrombolytic regimens despite marked differences in the fall of the fibrinogen level. The decrease of fibrinogen following thrombolytic therapy did not influence the patency rate of the infarct vessel. Thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction is a safe treatment even among patients advanced in years and with medically controlled hypertension and diabetes mellitus, irrespective of the kind of thrombolytic treatment.

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