Radical cystectomy remains the gold-standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. To combine the advantages of minimally invasive interventions and the well-established open surgery, we attempted to reproduce as accurately as possible the technique of open radical cystectomy using a laparoscopic procedure.
The study comprised 35 patients (27 men and 8 women) with invasive bladder cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) between April 2013 and March 2016. The study included only patients with fully intra-corporal ileum conduits.
The operating time averaged 378 min., the mean blood loss was 285 ml, the mean postoperative hospital stay was 12.4 days. Only 20% of patients needed postoperative opioid analgesia. Postoperative complications occurred in 11.4% of patients. The vast majority of them were successfully managed by minimally invasive methods.
Laparoscopic radical cystectomy is a safe and effective treatment modality for invasive bladder cancer. However, more patients and a longer observation period are needed to recommend the method as a standard of care.
Urologiia (Moscow, Russia : 1999). 2017 Oct [Epub]
D V Perlin, I V Aleksandrov, V P Zipunnikov, M Popova
Volgograd Regional Uronephrology Center, Volzhsky, Russia.