Laparoscopic Radical Cystectomy with Orthotopic Neobladder

Purpose: We report our technique of laparoscopic radical cystectomy in nine patients. Diversion was achieved by a modified Camey II orthotopic neobladder (the Y bladder) performed by a minilaparotomy in three cases and laparoscopically in the last six cases. Patients and Methods: There were eight men with muscle-invasive transitional-cell carcinoma and one woman with verrucous squamous-cell carcinoma of the bladder. The age range was 41 to 65 years. The control of the posterior and lateral bladder pedicles was achieved by vascular Endo-GIA in the first three cases and by the 10-mm Harmonic Shears (Ultracision; Ethicon) in the last six cases. The operative specimen was extracted through a 3- to 5-cm muscle-splitting incision in the right iliac fossa. The detubularized pouch was prepared extracorporeally through the same incision. The urethral and ureteral anastomoses were performed using laparoscopic intracorporeal suturing in the last six cases. Results: The operative time ranged from 6.5 to 12 hours (med...