The incidence of postoperative ileus in patients who underwent robotic assisted radical prostatectomy

INTRODUCTION: Our aim was to examine the incidence and risk factors of postoperative ileus among patients who underwent robot–assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 239 patients who underwent RARP transperitoneally between February 2009 and December 2011. Patients switched to open surgery were excluded. We defined postoperative ileus as intolerance of a solid diet continued until the third postoperative day and beyond. By Clavien classification, we evaluated the perioperative complications that cause or contribute to postoperative ileus. Similarly, we analyzed the impact of anesthesia risk score on the incidence of postoperative ileus. RESULTS: The study included 228 patients. The mean period to tolerate solid food was 1.24 days. Only 6 patients experienced postoperative ileus, all of whom were treated with a conservative approach. The two groups differed significantly in the duration of abdominal drainage, hospital stay, modified Clavien classification, and the presence of comorbidity diabetes mellitus (P <0.5 for all factors). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that diabetes mellitus was an independent risk factor for postoperative ileus. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for postoperative ileus in patients undergoing robot–assisted radical prostatectomy.