Background: In patients who do not qualify for an orthotopic urinary diversion, for example, the urethra cannot be spared or is functionally impaired, a heterotopic continent cutaneous cross-folded ileal reservoir offers a good alternative.
Objective: To describe the indication, surgical technique, and postoperative management, and to report the reservoir-related outcomes and complications associated with the serosa-lined tunnel.
Design, setting, and participants: Perioperative outcomes of 118 consecutive patients after cystectomy and a heterotopic ileal reservoir adapted from the Studer bladder substitute technique, operated between 2000 and 2018, were evaluated. The catheterisable serosa-lined tunnel was constructed from the appendix (Mitrofanoff, n = 63), an ileal segment (Yang-Monti, n = 48), or a fallopian tube (n = 7).
Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Pre- and postoperative data until last follow-up appointment were entered prospectively in the departmental database. The chi-square test was used to compare proportions.
Results and limitations: Median follow-up was 94 (interquartile range 36-152) mo. No peri- or postoperative mortality was observed within 90 d of surgery. Patient satisfaction was high in 77.5% and moderate in 16.9%. Overall, complications associated with the serosa-lined tunnel occurred in 52% (61/118) of patients. Stenosis of the continent outlet developed in 38% (45/118) of patients: 33/45 (75%) were simply dilated/incised at the outpatient clinic, of those 24% (8/33) required additional endoscopic dilatation. Of patients with stenosis of the continent outlet, 27% (12/45) needed open revision surgery. During follow-up, 8% (nine/118) of patients required revision of the serosa-lined tunnel due to incontinence. Twelve months postoperatively, 95% (92/97) patients were continent. A limitation is the retrospective analysis from prospectively assessed data. This could limit the generalisability of these findings, as selection bias cannot be excluded.
Conclusions: The heterotopic continent cutaneous cross-folded ileal reservoir achieves good functional results. Complications associated with the serosa-lined tunnel occur in about half of the patients but generally are easy to manage. As a result, patient satisfaction is high.
Patient summary: In patients who do not qualify for an orthotopic bladder substitute, a heterotopic continent cutaneous cross-folded ileal reservoir offers a viable alternative with good postoperative functional results and high patient satisfaction.
Keywords: Complications; Functional outcomes; Heterotopic continent urinary diversion; Quality of life; Surgical technique.
Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.