Delayed ileal-ileocystoplasty fistula formation: an unusual complication of augmentation enterocystoplasty.

Augmentation enterocystoplasty is a successful treatment for patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction. Delayed spontaneous bladder rupture is a serious recognised complication of the procedure; however, to our knowledge, delayed fistula formation between the neobladder and the gastrointestinal tract has not been reported in the literature. We report the case of a 21-year-old male who presented with chronic diarrhoea resulting from an ileal-ileocystoplasty fistula 10 years following a successful augmentation enterocystoplasty.

Aberrant reflexes and function of the pelvic organs following spinal cord injury in man.

Spinal cord injuries can be devastating on quality of life and lost opportunities due to their impact on bladder, bowel and sexual functions. Supra-sacral spinal lesions can cause incontinence by interrupting those pathways, which normally coordinate the bladder, bowel and sphincters. From a scientific perspective, neural control of the pelvic organs is one of the most intriguing in the body, involving both somatic and autonomic pathways participating in an exquisitely fine integration of lumbo-sacral reflexes.

Gastrointestinal symptoms related to autonomic dysfunction following spinal cord injury.

The impact of spinal cord injury on an individual's gastrointestinal tract function is often poorly understood by the general public and also by those involved with persons with spinal cord injury. This chapter reviews the anatomy, physiology and function of the gastrointestinal tract, with particular emphasis on neurological control mechanisms. In turn, it relates the effect that spinal cord injury has on the neurological control of the gastrointestinal tract.