Combined Bladder Neck Reconstruction and Continent Stoma Creation as a Suitable Alternative for Continence in Bladder Exstrophy: A Preliminary Report

Objective: To explore the use of concomitant bladder neck reconstruction (BNR) and creation of a continent stoma (CS) in patients who are not quite eligible for BNR but still strongly desire volitional voiding. Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed an institutional database of patients with exstrophy-epispadias complex who underwent BNR-CS between 2000 and 2015. Indications for a BNR-CS, perioperative outcomes, and continence status were evaluated. Method of voiding and continence status were analyzed for patients with greater than 6 months of follow-up after the BNR-CS. Results: A total of 24 patients with exstrophy-epispadias complex (15 male and 9 female) underwent BNR-CS at a median age of 8.9 years (range 5.4-17.4). This included 18 patients with classic bladder exstrophy, 5 with epispadias, and 1 with a cloacal exstrophy variant. There were 5 surgical complications (20.1%) following the BNR-CS, including 3 febrile urinary tract infections, 1 superficial wound infection, and 1 urethrocutaneous fistula. The median follow-up time from the time of BNR-CS was 1.1 years (range 0.1-14.1). Seventeen of 24 patients (71%) had a follow-up greater than 6 months and were evaluated for continence. Twelve patients (71%) were completely dry for intervals greater than 3 hours following BNR-CS. Five (29%) did not achieve continence with BNR-CS. Of those 5 patients, 3 (60%) underwent subsequent bladder neck transection. Conclusion: Combined BNR and CS is a suitable alternative to achieve urinary continence in patients who are not ideal candidates for BNR alone. This approach can offer a select group of patients the opportunity for volitional voiding.