Short-term and long-term outcomes of intracorporeal “V-O manner” ureter-ileal anastomosis in robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy with urinary diversion: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: There are several ways to perform ureter-ileal anastomosis (UIA), but there is currently no universally recognized standard approach. Unfortunately, these approaches may increase the risk of urine leakage or stricture. The aim of this study is we to describe an intracorporeal “V-O manner” UIA in robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy (RARC) with urinary diversion, and to evaluate the short- and long-term patient outcomes. METHODS: Between May 2012 and September 2018, 28 patients of bladder urothelial carcinomas (clinical stage T2–4aN0M0) who underwent RARC with intracorporeal urinary diversion (IUD) were included. All the patients received regular postoperative follow-up for 6–76 months. During the procedure of intracorporeal diversion, a “V-O manner” of UIA imitating the pyeloplasty in ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction was used to perform a mucosa-to-mucosa anastomosis. We observed short-term outcomes (operative time, blood loss, transfusion rate, length of hospital stay, 90-day mortality, and surgical complications) as well as long-term outcomes including kidney function and urinary diversion. RESULTS: Intracorporeal orthotopic ileal neobladder (OIN) was performed in 23 patients whereas intracorporeal ileal conduit (ICD) was performed in 5 patients. The “V-O manner” UIA was applied in all the cases. The average duration of bilateral UIA was about 40 min. The median pelvic lymph node yield was 26 (range, 14–43). All patients ambulated on postoperative 2 to 3 days, and bowel function recovered on postoperative day 3 to 4. The median length of hospital stay was 14 days [interquartile range (IQR), 9–18 days]. A total of 9 patients experienced complications. Postoperative images confirmed satisfying drainage of bilateral ureters without urine leakage or stricture. During the follow up (median 29 months), all participants showed normal renal functions with satisfactory urinary diversion without hydronephrosis. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a feasible intracorporeal “V-O manner” UIA in RARC with urinary diversion, which provides improved outcomes in avoiding urine leakage or stricture and preventing the occurrence of hydronephrosis. Larger randomized controlled trials and longer duration of follow-up needs to be required in the future.