Major morbidity after pelvic exenteration: a seven-year experience.

Thirty-eight patients underwent pelvic exenteration at the University of South Florida during the last seven years. The majority of the operations were performed for recurrent carcinoma of the cervix, and the operative mortality was 5.3%. Twenty-one patients developed major morbidity in the postoperative period, and 11 with complications involving the gastrointestinal or urinary tract required reoperation. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated a correlation between the amount of pelvic radiation, type of pelvic floor, type of pelvic drain, amount of blood loss, race, and the occurrence of serious postoperative morbidity. Strategies to avoid serious postoperative morbidity are discussed.