Stefan Miladinov Kovachev

The role of perioperative ureteral stenting for urologic complications in radical surgery of cervical cancer

Introduction: This study aimed to establish the urologic complications of radical type C2 hysterectomy in cervical cancer patients with or without ureteral stenting. Methods: This prospective randomized study included 76 (100%) patients with clinically and pathologically established cervical cancer stages I and II treated with radical type C2 hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection for the last 5 years (2014–2019). Patients were randomized into two groups (2:1 ratio): group II received perioperative ureteral stenting ( n = 24, 31.6%) and group I did not ( n = 52, 68.4%). Urologic complications observed during follow-up include intraoperative ureter and urinary bladder lesions and postoperative ureterovaginal and vesicovaginal fistulas. Results: Of the 52 patients in group I who underwent surgery for cervical cancer, urologic complications were observed in 8 (10.5%) patients, 2 (2.6%) of whom underwent preoperative radiation therapy. In group II, urologic complications were observed in 2 (2.6%) patients, of which 1 (1.3%) received preoperative radiation therapy. Intraoperative urologic complications in group I (6.6%) included 3 (3.9%) ureteral lesions cases and 2 (2.6%) cases of urinary bladder lesions, wherein 1 patient received preoperative radiation therapy. One case of (1.3%) urinary bladder lesion was observed in group II. Postoperative complications were observed in 3 patients (3.9%) in group I, including 2 (2.6%) ureterovaginal fistula cases, wherein 1 (1.3%) patient received preoperative radiation therapy, and 1 (1.3%) case of vesicovaginal fistula. In group II, 1 (1.3%) patient who received perioperative radiotherapy developed postoperative vesicovaginal fistula. Discussion: Urologic complications are extremely common during and after radical surgery (hysterectomy type C2) for cervical cancer. The cervical cancer stage had a significant effect on intra- and postoperative urologic complication rates in this study; however, no such effect was observed for preoperative radiation therapy and ureteral stenting, and significant differences were observed between the two study groups.