COMPLICATIONS OF EXTRAPERITONEOSCOPIC RADICAL PROSTATECTOMIES

Background. Radical prostatectomy (RPE) is today the gold standard treatment option for locally advanced prostate cancer (PC). These operations are performed both openly and using video-assisted endosurgery. Since 2009, the Research Institute of Urology has been made 70 extraperitoneoscopic RPEs (ERPE).

Objective: to assess the complications of ERPE with the validated Clavien complication scale.

Materials and methods. The authors retrospectively analyzed the case histories of 70 patients with locally advanced PC who had undergone ERPE. The complications were allocated to 3 groups: intraoperative, early (within 1 month) and late (over 1 month) postoperative ones. All found complications were stratified using Clavien classification scale.

Results. The total number of ERPE complications accounted for 35.7%. The most common complications, such as anastomotic incompetence and blood loss that required hemotransfusion, were 9.8 and 11.3%, respectively. Rectal damage was intraoperatively found in 2 cases. Obturator nerve damage was also recognized intraoperatively and did not result in the occurrence of neurological symptoms. The severest complication (Clavien scale grade V) was pulmonary embolism causing death.

Conclusion. Postoperative complications of ERPE were observed in a small percentage of the patients and posed no serious threat to their life. The analysis of the complications of ERPE suggests that this treatment for locally advanced PC is a current safe and low-traumatic method.