How to Say It: sis-TEK-toh-mee
A cystectomy is surgery to remove all or part of the bladder. There are 2 types:
This surgery may be done to treat:
Problems are rare, but all procedures have some risk. The doctor will go over some problems that could happen, such as:
Things that may raise the risk of problems are:
The surgical team may meet with you to talk about:
The doctor will give general anesthesia. You will be asleep.
There are 2 different methods:
Open Surgery
An incision will be made in the belly. In a partial cystectomy, only part of the bladder will be removed. In a radical cystectomy, all blood vessels to the bladder will be cut. The bladder will be removed. The doctor may also remove nearby lymph nodes, part of the tube that carries urine from the bladder, and any nearby organs. In men, these organs are the prostate and glands that help make semen. In women, they are the uterus, ovaries, and vagina.
The doctor will make a new way for urine to leave the body. A new bladder may be built. This can be done using pieces of intestine. Or, an external bag may be attached to the belly ( urostomy). The incision will be closed with stitches. A bandage will be placed over the area.
Laparoscopic Surgery
Small incisions will be made in the belly. A scope with a small camera on the end will be passed through one of the incisions. The camera will display the area on a video screen. Robotic arms holding tools may be inserted through the holes. In a partial cystectomy, only part of the bladder will be removed. In a radical cystectomy, all blood vessels to the bladder will be cut. The bladder will be removed. The doctor may also remove nearby lymph nodes, part of the tube that carries urine from the bladder, and any nearby organs. In men, these organs are the prostate and glands that help make semen. In women, they are the uterus, ovaries, and vagina.
The doctor will make a new way for urine to leave the body. A new bladder may be built. This can be done using pieces of intestine. Or, an external bag may be attached to the belly ( urostomy). The incisions will be closed with stitches. A bandage will be placed over the incisions.
Kidneys, Ureters, and BladderCopyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc. |
About 3 to 6 hours
Pain and swelling are common in the first 1 to 2 weeks. Medicine and home care can help.
The usual length of stay is 5 to 12 days. If you have any problems, you may need to stay longer.
Right after the procedure, the staff may:
During your stay, staff will take steps to lower your chance of infection, such as:
There are also steps you can take to lower your chance of infection, such as:
It will take 4 to 6 weeks to recover. Physical activity may need to be limited during this time. You may need to ask for help with daily activities and delay return to work.
Call your doctor if you are not getting better or you have:
If you think you have an emergency, call for medical help right away.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
http://www.niddk.nih.gov
Urology Care Foundation
http://www.urologyhealth.org
Canadian Urological Association
http://www.cua.org
Public Health Agency of Canada
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca
Bellmunt J, Orsola A, et al; ESMO Guidelines Working Group. Bladder cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Ann Oncol 2014 Sep;25 Suppl 3:iii40.
Bladder cancer diagnosis and staging. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/evaluation/bladder-cancer-diagnosis-and-staging. Accessed October 15, 2020.
Bladder cancer treatments. Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network website. Available at: https://bcan.org/bladder-cancer-treatment. Accessed October 15, 2020.
Last reviewed September 2020 by
EBSCO Medical Review Board
Elliot M. Levine, MD, FACOG
Last Updated: 4/27/2021