Indications for bladder augmentation in the exstrophy-epispadias complex.

Objective: To determine whether bladder augmentation has a role in avoiding urinary diversion in patients with exstrophy-epispadias complex (EEC), whether it can improve the lifestyle in patients who have previously undergone diversion or improve the result of any single surgical step in the staged functional reconstruction of the bladder in these patients.

Patients And Methods: From 1970 to 1991, 85 patients were treated for EEC. Between 1981 and 1991, 12 bladder augmentations were performed in 11 patients (seven girls and four boys) with bladder exstrophy, male epispadias (one case) and cloacal exstrophy (one case).

Results: No significant early surgical complications were reported. Follow-up ranged from 18 months to 11 years. Late complications included bowel obstruction in one patient, a partial left ureteric stenosis at the level of the anastomosis with the gastric patch wall in one patient and bladder lithiasis in five patients (sigmoidocystoplasty in one and ileocystoplasties in four). No metabolic problems, no bladder perforations or malignancies were observed. The results on continence were good and, with the one exception reported, the condition of the upper urinary tract following surgery was satisfactory in all patients.

Conclusion: Augmentation cystoplasty is of use in the treatment of patients with bladder exstrophy when staged functional reconstruction is unsuccessful. This technique greatly reduces the indications for urinary diversion and can be used in the surgical treatment of EEC. The only disadvantage is that clean intermittent catheterization must be performed, sometimes only temporarily, but patient acceptance is usually high.