Abstract:

Objective：To analyze the impact of different surgical methods on perioperative complication rate after radical cystectomy in patients over 75 years of age. Methods: A retrospective study reviewed 1 432 patients who received radical cystectomy from January 2003 to January 2015. A total of 239 patients were ≥75 years (median age: 78 years), of whom, 74 patients (31.0%) suffered one or more perioperative complications. According to the different operation methods, patients could be divided into ileal conduit group and cutaneous ureterostomy group. The ileal conduit group included laparoscopic and open radical cystectomy with ileal conduit. The cutaneous ureterostomy group included transperitoneal laparoscopic, transperitoneal and extraperitoneal open radical cystectomy with cutaneous ureterostomy.  Results: Perioperative complications were significantly associated with the patient’s age (P=0.012), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (P=0.001), node staging (P=0.043), and different surgical methods. Perioperative complications caused a prolonged hospital stay and delayed recovery (34 d vs. 21 d, P=0.002). For different surgical methods, the perioperative complication rate of ileal conduit was higher than cutaneous ureterostomy (P=0.013). However, there were no significant differences between transperitoneal laparoscopic and open radical cystectomy with ileal conduit in perioperative complication rate (P=0.836). The perioperative complication rate was statistically significant among transperitoneal laparoscopic, transperitoneal and extraperitoneal open radical cystectomy with cutaneous ureterostomy (P=0.022). On multivariate analysis, age (hazard ratio=4.856, 95% CI: 1.465-16.103, P=0.010), ASA score (P=0.008), and different surgical methods (P=0.016) were significantly associated with the perioperative complication rate. Conclusion: The perioperative complication rate after radical cystectomy in elderly patients was associated with the patients’ age, ASA score, and different surgical methods. Patients who received extraperitoneal open radical cystectomy with cutaneous ureterostomy suffered fewer perioperative complications, which was an appropriate choice for elderly patients.

Key words: Cystectomy, Urinary diversion, Ureterostomy, Perioperative complication, Aged