Scrotal pouch as a urinary reservoir: a surgical revolution or bizarre hypothesis?

INTRODUCTION: Despite of the tissue engineering efforts to substitute the bladder, almost all the urinary diversion techniques still need gastrointestinal segments that have many well documented complications including the life threatening ones such as renal insufficiency and electrolytes imbalances. In this preliminary incomplete animal model, we aimed to introduce the idea of the possibility of scrotal urinary diversion via inguinal canal and speculate its clinical advantages with its low morbidity and surgical technique of human application.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS: After a laporotomy and its left ureter dissection, a male rabbit underwent urinary diversion from kidney to the scrotum via catheter through the inguinal canal. Abdominal and scrotal incision closed with sutures but a potential gap was left at the scrotum for urinary leakage. Urinary leakage was observed from the ipsilateral scrotum postoperatively.

THE HYPOTHESIS: Although this study can be regarded as just a hypothesis, we would like to introduce the idea of scrotal pouch as a urinary reservoir. We speculated that scrotal urinary diversion is better and applicable technique with many advantages and low morbidity, mortality and short operation time over the intestinal ones especially in selected patients. Further human studies may improve this novel technique.