Important: This page is general education, not personal medical advice.
What is this surgery?
Robotic radical cystectomy removes the bladder to treat selected bladder cancers. An ileal conduit urinary diversion then uses a short segment of small intestine to create a new path for urine to drain to a stoma on the abdominal wall into an external urostomy bag.
Who may be a candidate?
- Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (or select high-risk non–muscle-invasive disease)
- Patients where bladder removal offers best oncologic control
- Patients medically fit for major surgery and anesthesia
- Patients counseled on diversion options and lifestyle changes
Goals of surgery
- Definitive local cancer control with removal of bladder and regional tissue as indicated
- Safe urinary diversion after cystectomy
- Pathologic staging to guide adjuvant treatment/surveillance
Risks and trade-offs
- Bleeding, infection, bowel complications, blood clots, anesthesia-related risk
- Urine leak, stoma complications, or conduit-related issues
- Need for ostomy supplies and long-term stoma care
- Potential sexual function changes depending on extent of surgery
- Possible need for additional therapy based on final pathology
Typical recovery timeline
- Hospital stay: often several days (varies by case)
- First 2 weeks: fatigue is common; stoma care learning is a major focus
- Weeks 2–8: gradual return to activity with lifting restrictions per surgeon guidance
- Follow-up: pathology review, cancer surveillance, and stoma/conduit monitoring
Procedure video (real surgical footage)
Real operative footage. Viewer discretion advised.
Source video: YouTube – robotic radical cystectomy with intracorporeal ileal conduit urinary diversion.
Questions to ask your surgeon
- Why is cystectomy recommended in my case versus bladder-preserving options?
- Why is ileal conduit the right diversion choice for me?
- What should I expect with stoma care day-to-day?
- What is my postoperative surveillance and oncology plan?