Comparison of clips and electrosurgical instruments in sealing of lymphatic vessels during pelvic lymph node dissection at the time of radical cystectomy

Background. Bladder cancer is very common and real problem in oncourology. The main treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer is radical cystectomy (RC). RC with pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) may be associated with an increased risk of developing lymphatic complications such as lymphedema, prolonged lymphorrhea, and the formation of lymphocele. Objective: to compare the efficiency of clips and surgical instruments for preventing the development of lymphatic complications during PLND at the time of RC. Materials and methods. From January 2016 to October 2020 at the N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University on the basis of N.I. Pirogov City Clinical Hospital No. 1 were performed 60 RC with PLND. All patients were divided into two groups. The 1st group included patients who underwent the sealing of lymphatic vessels using titanium/polymer clips (n = 30). In the 2nd group the sealing was performed using ultrasonic/bipolar instruments (n = 30). All operations were performed by one surgeon. The study used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results. The overall percentage of lymphatic complications was 29 (48.3 %) out of 60 patients. Out of them 7 (11.7 %) patients developed symptomatic lymphocele, and 3 (5.0 %) developed asymptomatic lymphocele, prolonged lymphorrhea was observed in 17 (28.3 %) patients, lymphedema of the lower extremities or genitals in 2 (3.3 %). The percentage of lymphatic complications in the 1st group was 66.7 % (n = 20), and in the 2nd group -30.0 % (n = 9) (p = 0.004). In multivariate analysis the statistical significance was (p = 0.014), a high odds ratio (6.83; 95 % confidence interval 1.48-31.49) was observed with sealing of lymphatic vessels with clips, while a low odds ratio (0.14; 95 % confidence interval 0.03-0.67) was found with electrosurgical instruments. Conclusion. The use of ultrasonic or bipolar electrosurgical instruments can be an effective method for preventing the development of lymphatic complications during PLND at the time of RC.