For patients diagnosed with bladder malignancy, what surgical procedure is performed to maintain urinary continuity?

In patients diagnosed with bladder malignancy, maintaining urinary continuity after surgical intervention is crucial. The procedure that best achieves this in the context of bladder cancer is radical cystectomy with ileal conduit.

During a radical cystectomy, the entire bladder is removed along with surrounding tissue and possibly nearby lymph nodes if cancer has spread. To maintain urinary continuity after the bladder is removed, a surgeon constructs an ileal conduit. This involves taking a segment of the ileum (part of the small intestine) and creating a new pathway for urine to exit the body. The urinary system is redirected to expel urine through an opening in the abdominal wall, which is then collected in an external pouch.

This approach is essential for those who undergo radical cystectomy due to invasive bladder cancer, as it allows for the elimination of the cancerous bladder while still providing a mechanism for urine excretion.

Other options, such as radical nephrectomy, pertain to the removal of a kidney and do not address bladder issues or urinary continuity. Simple cystectomy removes only part of the bladder and is generally not used for malignant cases. Transurethral resection of the bladder involves removing tumors through the urethra but does not eliminate the bladder nor maintain continuity in cases