Radical cystectomy in bladder cancer: mortality and morbidity. A series of 123 cases

Radical cystectomy for bladder cancer is an operation that presents a low mortality rate, which can still be reduced by a better patient selection, particularly with respect to patients presenting a high cardiac risk. Morbidity is still elevated but a better preparation of the patients against infection, hyperdiuresis during and after the operation and a nonperitonization of the anterior pelvis should reduce the frequency of abscesses, septicemia and pyelonephritis. It seems reasonable to propose this operation as a curative procedure for stage B and recurring stage A and as a palliative procedure for stages C and D.