Do patients benefit from total intracorporeal robotic radical cystectomy?: A comparative analysis with extracorporeal robotic radical cystectomy from a Korean multicenter study

Purpose: This study aimed to compare complications, perioperative parameters, and oncologic outcomes between robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with extracorporeal urinary diversion (ECUD) and RARC with intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD). Materials and methods: Between 2007 and 2017, 362 patients who underwent RARC with ECUD or ICUD at multiple tertiary referral institutions were assessed. The primary endpoints were complication rates. The secondary outcomes were perioperative recovery parameters and oncological outcomes including estimated recurrence-free survival (RFS) and recurrence pattern between the 2 groups. Additionally, the complication rates of 2 expert surgeons with experience of >100 RARCs were analyzed. Results: The ICUD group showed lower overall, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary complications (p=0.001, p=0.036, and p=0.036, respectively) than the ECUD group. Concerning perioperative outcomes, the ICUD group had a significantly longer operation time (p=0.002), although recovery parameters such as time to flatus passage, oral intake, and length of hospital stay were significantly shorter in this group (p=0.001, p<0.001, and p