title: [Quality of life after retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in low clinical stages of nonseminomatous testicular tumors].
abstract: The surgical complications and quality of life in 139 patients who underwent primary retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy for clinical stage A and B1/B2 non-seminomatous testicular tumors during the period ranging from 1975 to 1997 were reviewed. Bilateral retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy was performed in 26 patients, and modified unilateral in 113 patients. There were 23 complications in 36 patients (16.5%) and only 1 case of surgery-related mortality. There were 28 early complications and 8 late complications. The most frequent minor complication encountered was superficial wound infection, whereas many of the major complications were related to small-bowel obstruction and atelectasis. The complication rate was lower in patients who underwent modified unilateral procedures than in those who had bilateral dissections (76.9:14.5%). The most prominent element of quality of life is preservation of normal ejaculation (69.8%), significantly better preserved in unilateral dissection (80.5:23.1%). This study reinforces the conclusion that primary unilateral retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy is and operation yielding minimal morbidity, excellent quality of life and no long-standing effects.
authors.affiliation: Institut za urologiju i nefrologiju KCS, Beograd.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Argirović
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hadzi-Djokić
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mićić
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*