[Urinary diversion after uro-oncologic interventions in women: the right procedure for the right patient]

Bladder carcinoma is a relatively rare tumour in women. The even rarer constellation of an invasive carcinoma or a high-risk situation when cystectomy is indicated requires adequate urinary diversion.The individual underlying circumstances of tumour and patient and the experience and preferences of the surgeon determine the choice of urinary diversion.A variety of alternatives are available for bladder replacement. The first decision to be made is between incontinent or continent urinary diversion. There is no general solution that fits all patients, but an individual solution must be found based on adequate information. Options include incontinent drainage with an ostomy, e. g. ureterocutaneostomy or ileum conduit, and the much more complex techniques of the continent variants of orthotopic or heterotopic replacement.Experience with continent diversion is significantly limited in women compared with men. In particular, the orthotopic connection to the urethra reveals gender-specific differences.All in all, clear inclusion or exclusion criteria for the different techniques have to be respected. Especially in cases when quality of life or body image play a crucial role, it is difficult to decide which type of urinary diversion is appropriate. This requires extensive experience on the part of the surgeon regarding the various options of surgical methods as well as knowledge and control of consecutive complications.