Modified U-Shaped ileal neobladder designed for facilitating neobladder-urethral anastomosis in extracorporeal reconstruction after robotic-assisted radical cystectomy

Background/Objective: To report the initial experience and the early outcomes of a modified U-shaped ileal neobladder, which was developed to facilitate the neobladder-urethral anastomosis by minimizing the anastomotic tension. Patients and Methods: Between June 2015 and December 2016, two male and two female patients (median age: 65.5 years, range: 43-72 years) underwent the modified U-shaped ileal neobladder after robotic-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC). The most mobile and dependent ileal segment was first selected intracorporeally as the site for later neobladder-urethral anastomosis. The neobladder was formed extracorporeally, and the previously selected ileal segment formed the most dependent portion of the neobladder. The neobladder-urethral anastomosis was completed after robotic redocking. Results: The median follow-up was 8 months (3-21 months). The median operative time, console time, and extracorporeal reconstruction time were 620 min (534-674 min), 372 min (314-420 min), and 151 min (128-215 min), respectively. In all patients, the neobladder-urethral anastomosis was completed intracorporeally with minimal tension. The median hospital time after the surgery was 14.5 days (14-19 days). Postoperatively, the median peak flow rate and void volume were 10 ml/s (4-35 ml/s) and 258 ml (88-775 ml). The median postvoid residual was 20 ml (10-53 ml). At daytime, two were completely continent; the other two reported mild (1-2 pads) and moderate (>2 pads) incontinence at the postoperative 3 and 4 months, respectively. Three reported nocturnal enuresis. Conclusions: Our initial experience demonstrated that the modified U-shaped neobladder designed for minimizing the anastomotic tension is safe and feasible with its satisfactory functional outcomes.