Special surgical aspects of radical cystectomy in spinal cord injury patients with bladder cancer.

PURPOSE: Radical cystectomy in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) provides numerous additional difficulties, compared to able-bodied people. Therefore, it is important to obtain information from an experienced team about optimally managing these patients.

METHODS

Surgical procedures, based on the experience of 12 radical cystectomies in SCI patients with bladder cancer between January 1st, 2001, and December 31st, 2020, were recorded and the operative and perioperative clinical data were evaluated. Surgery was performed in a high-volume center by the surgeon most experienced in radical cystectomies, assisted by the neuro-urologist, involved in the care of the patient from the spinal cord center. Furthermore, a checklist based on the experience of the surgeon and the assisting neuro-urologist was developed.

RESULTS

SCI patients mostly suffered from an advanced disease and were always operated by the same team. The hospital stays ranged from 23 to 134 days (median 42 days). Four of the patients suffered from a postoperative paralytic ileus. Otherwise, both the operation time and the intraoperative blood loss as well as intraoperative and postoperative complications were basically comparable with those in able-bodied patients. The special features of radical cystectomy in SCI bladder cancer patients are described. Furthermore, a checklist addressing preoperative red flags, intra-operative challenges and post-operative challenges is presented.

CONCLUSION

Radical cystectomy in SCI patients should be performed in a high-volume department by the most experienced surgical team. The inclusion of the urologist caring for the patient from the spinal cord injury center is highly recommended.