Appendiceal continence mechanisms in continent urinary diversion.

The creation of a safe, reliable, and easy-to-perform continence mechanism remains one of the most important problems during continent urinary diversion. The advent of the use of the appendix as an efferent segment brought through the umbilicus has greatly facilitated surgical procedures with very favorable results. Our experience with the insitu appendix as an efferent segment during continent cutaneous urinary diversion using the Mainz-pouch I technique over the past 6 years revealed a markedly decreased complication rate of 3.2% as compared with 7.2% in patients who received an ileocecal intussusception nipple. The routine use of the appendix as a continence mechanism during continent urinary diversion has proved to be a most valuable addition to our surgical armentarium.