Early Complications and Morbidity of Radical Cystectomy

ContextRadical cystectomy (RC) is probably the most extensive urologic operation, involving simultaneous surgery on the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts and lymph node dissection. Consequently, early complications and morbidity frequently occur due to the complexity of the procedure.ObjectiveThis review is focused on early complications related to RC but not related to urinary diversion.Evidence acquisitionLiterature on RC and complications was retrieved from PubMed in November 2009.Evidence synthesisThe mortality, complications, and morbidity that occur after RC are time dependent and, hence, should be ascertained at the earliest point 90 d after surgery to get a true picture of incidence. Standardised reporting methodology is necessary for comparing data from different hospitals or from patients subjected to different surgical techniques. Today, the most common complications are gastrointestinal problems followed by infectious events.ConclusionsExtensive complications and morbidity occur after RC. All hospitals that perform RC should prospectively register and assess postoperative complications.