How to urinate after bladder cancer surgery

My uncle was diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer. The doctor said that he needed to have his bladder completely removed. However, the bladder is an organ that stores urine. How can he urinate without a bladder after a complete removal? Will it affect his quality of life?

Many patients are worried about the problem of bladder cancer patients completely urinating. After radical cystectomy, the original normal urination pathway is completely destroyed. At this time, the urine can be drained out of the body through the ileal bladder passage and in situ ileal bladder replacement. The specific method to be used can be determined according to the specific invasion range of the tumor.

1. Ileal bladder passage: The ileal bladder passage is relatively simple. A section of ileum about 15 cm long is used as the channel for urine to flow out of the body through the right abdominal wall. The patient must "wear" a urine bag for life or perform self-catheterization regularly. The disadvantage is that it causes many inconveniences to the patient and requires frequent care.

2. Orthotopic ileal bladder replacement: Orthotopic ileal bladder replacement surgery is relatively complicated. It takes about 50cm of ileum and sutures it into the shape of a bladder, and puts it back to the original bladder position to restore the normal physiological urination pathway. Urine is discharged from the original penile urethra, and there is no need to wear a urine bag, which has a higher quality of life. Compared with the ileal bladder passage, patients with orthotopic ileal bladder replacement surgery have good feedback after surgery, generally without urinary incontinence, similar to a normal bladder, and good function.