Minimal incisions for laparoscopic radical cystectomy with extracorporeal-assisted urinary diversion

ObjectiveLaparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) had been used for >10 years. However, longer wound incisions for extracorporeal-assisted urinary diversion decrease the benefits of a laparoscopic approach. In this study, we describe our experience of modified LRC with extracorporeal-assisted urinary diversion using minimal wound incisions.Materials and methodsFrom January 2011 to January 2013, 22 consecutive patients underwent radical cystectomy by a single surgeon. Seven patients underwent open radical cystectomy (ORC), and 15 patients underwent LRC with four-port incisions.ResultsThe LRC group had a significantly lower estimated blood loss (p = 0.005), lower blood transfusion rate (p = 0.004), and lower ileus rate (p = 0.031) than the ORC group. No significant differences were noted in operative time, time to flatus, pain score, overall complication rate, pathological stage, positive surgical margin rate, or lymph node yield (27.6 for LRC and 29.1 for ORC). The 1-year disease free survival rate was 86.7% in the LRC group and 71.4% in the ORC group, and the 1-year overall survival rates were both 100%.ConclusionOur experience shows that LRC with extracorporeal-assisted urinary diversion using minimal incisions is a safe and feasible surgical technique with less blood loss. Further reports with a longer follow-up period and large number of cases are necessary to validate our findings.