Complications and reoperations after laparoscopic radical cystectomy in a Japanese multicenter cohort

To describe the complications and their surgical management after laparoscopic radical cystectomy in a Japanese multicenter cohort.

The participants were drawn from a retrospective multicenter study at 10 institutions. We identified 436 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical cystectomy with no robot assistance. Early and late complications were graded according to their Clavien-Dindo classification. The records of all patients who underwent surgical interventions for laparoscopic radical cystectomy-specific complications were also reviewed. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to describe the time to surgical intervention.

The 90-day rates for overall complications, high-grade complications (Clavien-Dindo classification III-V) and mortality were 53%, 17% and 1.4%, respectively. Gastrointestinal (25%), infectious (22%) and abdominal wall-related (9%) complications were the most common. The late complication rate was 18%, and a total of 81 patients (19%) underwent surgical intervention during the median follow-up period of 22 months. The reoperation rate was 25% at 5 years. Gastrointestinal complications in the early postoperative period and abdominal wall-related complications in the late postoperative period were the main reasons for reoperation. Seven (7%) out of 100 female patients underwent emergent surgical reoperation for transvaginal bowel evisceration as a result of vaginal dehiscence.

Early and late postoperative complications and surgical reoperations are notable after laparoscopic radical cystectomy. Abdominal wall-related complications including vaginal dehiscence are common, and they represent the main indication for reoperation during long-term follow up.