Preservation of continence important structures during Studer neobladder

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of preserving continence important structures during Studer pouch surgery. Methods Radical cystectomy and Studer orthotopic neobladder surgeries were performed on 68 male patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.The anatomic configuration of the rhabdosphincter complex,pudendal nerve supply,and musculofascial support system to the proximal urethra were carefully preserved.The neobladder functions were then evaluated. Results The pathological classification of the 68 patients was as follows:T3a N0M0 in 20 cases and T2N0M0 in 48 cases.The patients were followed up for 6 to 36mon(mean 12 mon).Complete urinary continence was achieved in 67 patients 24 hours a day and the remained one had nocturnal incontinence.Of these patients,59 patients could urinate well without residual urine and the other 9 patients had residual urine of 20 to 30 ml. Conclusions A well-performed Studer pouch should pay specific attention to the anatomic configuration of the rhabdosphincter complex,pudendal nerve supply,and musculofascial support system to the proximal urethra to achieve the goal of maximizing continence preservation. Key words: Urinary bladder neoplasms; Carcinoma; Urinary diversion; Urinary reservoirs,continent