Long-term functional recovery after orthotopic spiral ileal bladder substitution

BACKGROUND: To explore the value of orthotopic spiral ileal bladder substitution (OSIBS) following radical cystectomy in treating bladder cancer patients by investigating the short- and long-term postoperative complications and assessing the quality of life in patients who had undergone OSIBS. METHODS: The post-operative complications were retrospectively analyzed among bladder cancer patients who had undergone radical cystectomy + OSIBS in our center from January 2001 to January 2017. The quality of life was assessed by using the Function Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bladder Cancer Form (FACT-BL). Patients were followed up by mails, telephone, and outpatient visits. RESULTS: A total of 68 subjects were included in this study. All patients undergoing radical cystectomy + OSIBS were followed up for an extended period. The patients aged 39–68 years (mean: 60.34±9.43 years). The surgeries were completed, and all the patients were smoothly discharged after good postoperative recovery. Of the 68 patients who had completed the follow-up visits, 10 had early complications (14.71%), and 11 (17.64%) developed late complications. The blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (t=0.358, P=0.764) and serum creatinine (Cr) (t=1.305, P=0.196) levels showed no significant difference before and after surgery. The serum potassium (t=1.347, P=0.169), sodium (t=−1.748, P=0.144), and calcium (t=1.097, P=0.319) levels also showed no significant changes before and after surgery. However, the change in serum chlorine level was statistically significant (t=−4.701, P=0.000). To support urinary function, the patients were encouraged to take exercises During the 10-year follow-up period, the daytime urinary continence rate reached 94.1% (n=64) in the daytime, and the nighttime incontinence rate was 13.2% (n=9). Six months after the surgery, the neobladder capacity was (365.02±45.11) mL, the maximum flow rate was (14.36±1.41) mL/s, and the post-voiding residual (PVR) was (26.01±8.10) mL. The total FACT-BL score was (124.8±13.4) during the 10-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: After 10 years of follow-up, the early and late complications in patients who had undergone radical cystectomy + OSIBS were within acceptable range and the daily and nightly continence levels allowed normal daily life. OSIBS not only preserves the physical integrity of the body but also has normal physiological characteristics of the bladder. It remarkably improves the postoperative quality of life and can be easily accepted by patients. Therefore, it is an ideal surgical procedure.