Assessment of quality of life in patients with neurogenic bladders who undergone urinary system reconstruction (Mitrofanoff).

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the additional contribution of the Mitrofanoff channel to health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

METHODS

Between 2005 and 2009, we conducted a retrospective study on 10 pediatric patients who underwent Mitrofanoff surgery for neurogenic bladder and 11 control patients using urethral catheterization. We evaluated HRQoL using questionnaires tailored for various age groups, with higher scores indicating better QoL.

RESULTS

The mean age in the patient group was 12.8 years and 10.7 years in the control group (p = 0.103). Shunt use and wheelchair dependency were similar between groups (p = 0.217 and p = 0.505, respectively). Diaper use showed no significant difference (p = 0.256). Notably, 50% of the patient group performed self-catheterization compared to 9.1% in the control group, a significant difference (p = 0.038). Prophylaxis application was significantly higher in the control group (p = 0.049). HRQoL scores were not significantly different between surgery and control groups in children (p = 0.251) and adolescents (p = 0.831), with Cronbach's α values indicating high reliability of the HRQoL scale.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the procedure shows potential in enhancing independence, particularly in self-catheterization, the impact on overall HRQoL is not significantly different from the control group.