Comparison of the Perioperative and Postoperative Outcomes of Ileal Conduit and Cutaneous Ureterostomy: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> To compare perioperative and postoperative outcomes related to urinary diversion (UD) between ileal conduit and cutaneous ureterostomy following open radical cystectomy (ORC). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This retrospective study included 232 patients with bladder cancer who underwent ORC and subsequent UD (ileal conduit, <i>n</i> = 123; cutaneous ureterostomy, <i>n</i> = 109) at Kobe University and related hospitals between January 2007 and December 2016. A propensity score method was used to adjust the preoperative status of the two groups, and the perioperative and postoperative outcomes were compared between matched cohorts. In addition, we evaluated several factors predicting renal deterioration. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In the matched cohorts, 87 patients were included in each group. While the operative time and postoperative fasting periods were significantly longer in patients with ileal conduit in comparison to those with cutaneous ureterostomy (both <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001), there were no differences in blood loss or duration of hospitalization. Although the incidence of grade ≥III perioperative complications was similar between the two groups, the incidence of postoperative recurrent pyelonephritis in the cutaneous ureterostomy group was significantly higher than that in the ileal conduit group (25.3 and 11.4%, respectively; <i>p</i> = 0.030), and cutaneous ureterostomy was identified as a significant predictor of a decrease in the estimated glomerular filtration rate with an odds ratio of 2.13 (95% confidence interval, 1.19–3.85; <i>p</i> = 0.010). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The perioperative safety of ileal conduit was comparable to that of cutaneous ureterostomy, and cutaneous ureterostomy was a significant risk factor for pyelonephritis and subsequent renal deterioration, suggesting that ileal conduit may be preferable to cutaneous ureterostomy.