Last updated: 02/17/2009

There is a 30–44% chance of complications during pelvic exenteration, and the operative mortality rate ranges from 3–5%. About one-third of patients will experience such postoperative complications as bowel obstruction, fistula formation, inflammation...

or failure of the kidneys, narrowing of the ureters, or pulmonary embolism (a blood clot that travels to the lungs). The five-year survival rate after pelvic exenteration ranges from 23–61%. For patients who undergo pelvic or orbital exenteration, short- and long-term morbidity and mortality rates depend on the particular condition that required the procedure.