Comparison of perioperative outcomes and complications of robot assisted radical cystectomy with extracorporeal vs intracorporeal urinary diversion

Abstract Objectives To compare perioperative outcomes and complications of robot assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with extracorporeal (ECUD) vs. intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) for bladder cancer. Material and methods Retrospective revision of 43 patients who underwent RARC for bladder cancer between 2015 and 2018 with at least 3 months of follow-up. The analysis included the initial series of RARC performed by one surgeon with extensive experience in open radical cystectomy. Results Forty-three patients, 40 men (93%) and 3 women (7%), with a median age of 65 years (44–83) and mean follow-up of 27.7 months (±20.1) underwent RARC. A ECUD was performed in 22 cases (51%), of whom 10 were ileal conduits (45.5%) and 12 neobladders (54.5), and ICUD in 21 cases (49%), of whom 14 were ileal conduits (66.7%) and 7 neobladders (33.3%). Clinical and preoperative characteristics were similar in both groups. The median operative time was 360 min (240–540) and length of hospital stay was 12 days (7–73). Thirty-five patients (81%) had postoperative complications, of whom 10 (23%) were major. Operative time, peroperative complications, pathological stage, positive margins, and number of lymph nodes removed did not significantly differ among groups. Patients who underwent ECUD had a higher rate of uretero-ileal strictures than those with ICUD (45.5% vs. 14.3%, p  =  0 . 026 ). Among the neobladders, the ECUD developed a higher rate of urethro-neobladder stricture than the ICUD (33% vs. 0%, p  =  0 . 044 ). Conclusions RARC with ICUD achieved peroperative outcomes and complication rates comparable than those with ECUD. The ICUD could reduce the risk of developing uretero-ileal and urethro-neobladder strictures.