Quality of life after cystectomy and urinary diversion: results of a retrospective interdisciplinary study

Now that creation of continent urinary reservoirs has become a standardized and clinically well established surgical technique with known morbidity and mortality rates, we reassessed the psychological and social aspects of this treatment compared with wet urostomy.

We developed a questionnaire (102 items) addressing general aspects of quality of life, disease related social support, coping strategies and stoma related issues. It was mailed to 600 patients with ileal conduits and 130 with continent reservoirs. Final analysis was restricted to 192 patients operated upon within the last 5 years (mean followup 2.7 years).

The resulting groups were matched and paralleled regarding most treatment related and sociodemographic data. Final analysis did not reveal differences between the groups in disease related social support, coping strategies or quality of life when expressed as a total score. We found statistically significant superiority of continent reservoirs regarding all stoma related items, patient global self-assessment of their quality of life (single item, p < 0.005), physical strength, mental capacity, leisure time activities and social competence (p < 0.05).

Continent diversion is clearly advantageous with respect to all items directly related to the stoma. The significant superiority of continent diversion in patient global self-assessment of their quality of life reflects the highly subjective dimension of the concept. Superiority in self-ratings of physical strength, mental capacity, leisure time activities and social competence could be interpreted as indicators of enhanced vitality in those patients, thus, supporting our understanding that women and men who actively participate in life have a special benefit from continent reservoirs.