Risk Factors Found for Neurogenic Bladder After Rectal Cancer Surgery

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Lower abdominal visceral fat area (VFA), older age, and prolonged surgery are independent risk factors for developing postoperative neurogenic bladder (PONB) after rectal cancer surgery, according to a study published online Sept. 27 in BMC Gastroenterology.

Tomohiro Matsui, M.D., from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Japan, and colleagues analyzed risk factors for developing PONB after rectal cancer surgery. The analysis included 138 patients who underwent rectal resection for lower rectal cancer (2017 to 2021).

The researchers reported that 19 patients developed PONB, with 16 being severe cases. PONB was more common in patients with a height of <158 cm, age 70 years and older, surgery lasting eight or more hours, intraoperative bleeding volume ≥150 mL, lateral lymph node dissection, and a narrower pelvis. Additionally, PONB was more prevalent in cases with low VFA at the umbilical level. Gender, body mass index, and medical history were not significantly correlated with PONB. Independent risk factors for PONB included older age, prolonged surgery, and low VFA, while low VFA, older age, prolonged surgery, and a deep pelvis were independent risk factors for severe PONB.

“This result is contrary to the instinctive impression that many surgeons have that cases with low visceral fat are less prone to nerve damage caused by surgical manipulation because the surgical difficulty is not high,” the authors write.

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