Objective： To evaluate whether urological patients at nutritional risk are at higher risk for complications after radical cystectomy than those not at nutritional risk. Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study in the consecutive patients undergoing radical cystectomy between 2010 and 2013. A total of 147 patients were enrolled in this study. The nutritional risk score was assessed preoperatively by a specialized study nurse. The patients with NRS （nutritional risk screening，NRS2002）scores≥3 were considered to have nutritional deficiency. Postoperative complications were defined using the standardized Clavien-Dindo classification. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the predictors of complications. Results:The patients aged ≥70 years（50.57%） were more prone to nutritional risk than those aged ＜70 years （31.67%, P=0.023). Of the 63 patients at nutritional risk, 39 (61.90%) presented with at least 1 complication compared with 29 of the 84 controls (34.52%, P=0.001）. The patients at nutritional risk were at threefold risk for complications on binary Logistic analysis (OR=3.128，95%CI 1.538－6.361，P=0.002). The length of hospital stay of the patients at higher nutritional risk was longer than that of those without nutritional risk ［(12.9±5.7) d vs. (10.4±4.3) d, P=0.003］. Conclusion: The patients aged ≥70 years are at higher nutritional risk than that of those aged ＜70 years. Patients at nutritional risk are more prone to complications after radical cystectomy.