ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The most important prognostic factor for oncological outcome of rectal cancer is radical surgical resection. In patients with locally advanced T4 rectal cancer (LARC) or locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC) (partial) resection of the urinary tract is frequently required to achieve radical resection. The psoas bladder hitch (PBH) technique is the first choice for reconstruction of the ureter after partial resection and this bladder-preserving technique should not influence the oncological outcome. METHODS: Demographic and clinical data were collected prospectively for all patients operated on for LARC or LRRC between 1996 and 2014 who also underwent a psoas hitch ureter reconstruction. Urological complications and oncological outcome were assessed. RESULTS: The sample comprised 70 patients, 30 with LARC and 40 with LRRC. The mean age was 62 years (range: 39-86). Postoperative complications occurred in 38.6% of patients, the most frequent were urinary leakage (22.9%), ureteral stricture with hydronephrosis (8.6%) and urosepsis (4.3%). Surgical re-intervention was required in 4 cases (5.7%), resulting in permanent loss of bladder function and construction of a ureter-ileo-cutaneostomy in 3 cases (4.3%). Oncological outcome was not influenced by postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: The rate of complications associated with the PBH procedure was higher in our sample than in previous samples with benign conditions, but most complications were temporary and did not require surgical intervention. We conclude that the bladder-sparing PBH technique of ureter reconstruction is feasible in locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer with invasion of the urinary tract after pelvic radiotherapy.
