Quality of life after laparoscopic vs open sphincter-preserving resection for rectal cancer

Table 3 Sexual enjoyment and sexual problems among men who have been sexually active: Laparoscopic vs open groups

	Baseline			4 mo			8 mo			12 mo
	Lap	Open	P value	Lap	Open	P value	Lap	Open	P value	Lap	Open	P value
Number of men who have been sexually active	14	5	/	6	1	/	10	5	/	12	5	/
Sexual enjoyment (functional scale)	40.5 (8.0)	20.0 (8.2)	0.164	38.9 (18.1)	33.3 (/)	1.000	46.7 (7.4)	6.7 (6.7)	0.004	44.4 (10.3)	0 (0.0)	0.019
Male sexual problems (symptom scale)	16.7 (8.4)	0 (0)	0.194	33.3 (13.6)	66.7 (/)	0.309	20.0 (8.5)	76.7 (14.5)	0.013	29.2 (11.3)	80.0 (9.7)	0.026

Quality of life scores are presented as the mean (standard error of mean). Scores ranged from 0 to 100. A higher score on a functional scale indicates better functioning, whereas a higher score on a symptom scale indicates a higher degree of symptoms. Scores in the laparoscopic and open groups were compared by the Mann-Whitney U test.