Extraperitoneal Antegrade vs Transperitoneal Open Radical Cystectomy: Single Center Experiences with 200 Cases

Total extra-peritoneal approach to radical cystectomy with ureterostomy: A novel technique for the elderly and frail

OBJECTIVES

Radical cystectomy with urinary diversion is the gold standard treatment for bladder cancer (high-risk/muscle invasive). The transperitoneal approach is associated with significant gastrointestinal complications like ileus. In the elderly and frail with a single functional kidney, we describe an extraperitoneal technique of radical cystectomy, with a ureterostomy, to be performed without general anesthesia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The elderly, frail, and high-risk candidates for general anesthesia, with a prior history of nephroureterectomy with a second primary muscle-invasive bladder cancer, were chosen. All patients underwent the described procedure under combined spinal and epidural anesthesia. The posterior dissection was retrograde, caudal to cranial, with the peritoneum being opened only for resection of the dome. A cutaneous ureterostomy was fashioned on the side of the functional kidney. Peri-operative parameters were assessed for early recovery in this high-risk group.

RESULTS

The mean age was 82 years (range: 73-91), with Charleson Comorbidity Index 5, and were all deemed unfit for neoadjuvant chemotherapy. With a median duration of 127.5 minutes, an average blood loss of 225ml, and no patient requiring general anesthesia; early ambulation, early return of bowel function, and a lesser hospital stay (7 days) with minimal morbidity were achieved. Negative surgical margins were achieved in all cases, with a mean harvest of 29 lymph nodes. Only 1 patient developed stomal stenosis. The cause-specific survival (CSS) is 100% at 2 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The highlighting features are the early return of bowel function (flatus passage on day 1) and the avoidance of the cardio-pulmonary complications of general anesthesia. The extraperitoneal cystectomy offers a promising alternative in this select group and warrants further studies to extrapolate this technique for bilateral urinary drainage.

Extraperitoneal Open Radical Cystectomy: A New Standard in Frail Patients with Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer?

Background/Objectives: Radical cystectomy (RC) represents one of the most complex and morbid surgical procedures in the field of Urology. Extraperitoneal open RC has emerged as an alternative to the traditional transperitoneal approach for the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Frailty is one of the most important risk factors for perioperative morbidity and mortality, and this category of patients can benefit the most from the extraperitoneal approach. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and the safety of extraperitoneal open RC in our experience; Methods: We retrospectively collected the data of 75 frail patients who underwent an extraperitoneal open RC, performed by a single experienced surgeon. We assessed their frailty status using the simplified frailty index (sFI). We recorded data regarding general characteristics, intraoperative, pathological, and postoperative complications, and mortality (within 90 days); Results: We analyzed 61 males and 14 females with an sFI equal to or higher than 3. The median age was 77 years. Fifty-one patients had an ASA score of 3 or more. Sixty procedures were with radical intention, while fifteen were palliative. Cutaneous ureterostomy was performed in 70 cases and extraperitonized ileal conduit in five cases. The median operative time was 150 min. The median blood loss was 400 mL. The median time to flatus was 2 days. The median postoperative stay was 7 days. Thirteen patients had Clavien-Dindo III or IV complications. Two patients died in first 90 days postoperatively; Conclusions: The extraperitoneal open RC in frail patients was demonstrated to be a feasible and safe alternative approach in definitive treatment or a palliative setting in our experience.

Transperitoneal vs extraperitoneal radical cystectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

One of the most complex surgeries including radical cystectomy (RC) has a high rate of morbidity. The standard approach for the muscle-invasive bladder is conventional transperitoneal radical cystectomy. However, the procedure is associated with significant morbidities like ileus, urinary leak, bleeding, and infection. The aim of this study is to compare the transperitoneal RC approach with the extraperitoneal RC approach in the treatment of bladder cancer patients. The outcomes of this study are Operative time, Estimated Blood Loss, Hospital Stay, Post-Operative Ileus, Infection, and Major Complication (Clavien-Dindo Grade 3-5).

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct were systematically searched for different publications related to the meta-analysis. Keywords used for searching were Radical Cystectomy AND Extraperitoneal AND Transperitoneal up until 31st August 2022. The studies were screened for our eligibility criteria. Demographic parameters, perioperative variables, and postoperative complications were recorded and analyzed. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the risk of bias in each study. The Review Manager (RevMan) software version 5.4.1 was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Eight studies (3 laparoscopic and 5 open methods) involving 1207 subjects (588 patients using the extraperitoneal approach and 619 using the transperitoneal approach) were included. The incidence of postoperative ileus is significantly lower after the extraperitoneal approach compared to the transperitoneal approach (p < 0.00001). The two techniques did not differ in operative time, estimated blood loss, duration of hospital stay, total infection, and major complication events.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis shows that extraperitoneal radical cystectomy benefits in terms of reduced postoperative ileus.

The impact of tumor invasion to muscularis mucosaevascular plexus on patient outcome in pT1 bladder urothelial carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

T1 bladder cancer has a wide range of tumor behavior and lamina propria invasion depth has a high potential risk of disease progression. To evaluate the patient outcome according to the tumor invasion to the muscularis mucosae-vascular plexus (MM-VP) in pT1 bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study is a retrospective analysis of patients consecutively recorded from 2007 to 2013. A total of 93 patients with a history of primary pT1 BUC and complete follow-up were included. We used a pathological substaging system according to the tumor invasion regarding the MM-VP: pT1a (invasion above MM-VP) and pT1b (MM-VP invasion). We evaluated recurrence-free survival (RFS), progression- free survival (PFS), disease-specific-survival (DSS) based on this sub-staging system.

RESULTS

Pathological evaluation regarding the MM-VP invasion revealed 53 patients (57%) as pT1a BUC and 40 patients (43%) as pT1b BUC. The mean follow-up was 78.8 months. During the follow-up period; 60 patients (64.5%) had tumor recurrences, 32 patients (34.4%) had progression to invasive disease, 18 patients (19.4 %) died during follow-up related to the BUC. In 29 (54.7%) of pT1a and in 31(77.5%) of pT1b tumors, the recurrent disease was recorded during the followup period (p = 0.023). DSS rates at 5 years for pT1a and pT1b were 80.2% and 60.8%, respectively. PFS, RFS, and DSS rates were similar for pT1a/pT1b and did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Sub-staging of pT1 BUC according to the MM-VP invasion showed a limited impact on the outcome in our patient cohort. However, the presence of pT1b disease caused a significantly higher rate of recurrence.