Urinary conduit formation using retubularized bowel from continent urinary diversion or intestinal augmentations: I. A multi-institutional experience.

OBJECTIVES

To present our multi-institutional experience with retubularized bowel conduits. Some patients with augmentation cystoplasty, augmented rectal bladder, or continent urinary reservoirs require conversion to an ileal conduit for various reasons. This is generally accomplished by construction of a de novo ileal conduit. We retubularized the bowel segment used in the augmented bladder or the urinary reservoir to form the intestinal urinary conduit.

METHODS

A total of 29 patients (mean age 42 years) underwent conduit formation using the augmentation patch of enterocystoplasty, the segment of cutaneous urinary diversion reservoir or orthotopic neobladder, or the augmentation patch of an augmented rectal bladder. Patients were followed up with history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and imaging studies.

RESULTS

The follow-up ranged from 12 to 130 months (mean 42). One patient developed small bowel obstruction requiring laparotomy with lysis of adhesions. None of the other patients had bowel complications. Two patients developed ureteral obstruction with hydronephrosis. One had pyocystitis requiring simple cystectomy. One patient was lost to follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Retubularization of previously used bowel segments to construct a urinary conduit is feasible and has several advantages. It is possible to perform this procedure after several types of reconstructive procedures in which bowel was incorporated into the urinary tract.