Complications after sigmoidocolocystoplasty: review of 100 cases at one institution

The aim of this study was to review complications after sigmoidocolocystoplasty (SCP) performed at a single institution from 1984 to 1997.

The medical records of 100 patients who underwent SCP were reviewed retrospectively.

Mean age at SCP was 10.8 years. Urinary control was improved in 75 cases and unchanged in 25. Post-SCP complications included death, abdominal wound infection or dehiscence, adhesive bowel obstruction, vesical calculi, vesicocolonic anastomosis stenosis, metabolic acidosis, and transient renal hypertension. Fifty-one patients underwent ureteric re-implantation (URI) at the time of, or before, SCP, and 7 had recurrence of VUR post-URI (spontaneous regression in 6); 3 patients had new onset of contralateral VUR post-URI (spontaneous regression in 2). Transient pleural effusion was seen after reinsertion of ventriculo-pleural shunts to ventriculo-thoracic in 12 cases, but there was no incidence of infection. Squamous metaplasia of the bladder mucosa was identified in 5 patients on routine mucosal biopsy results but resolved in all cases after regular bladder irrigation was commenced. Preoperative constipation or fecal incontinence was better managed after sigmoidectomy in approximately one third of cases (38%).

SCP with or without URI can improve the quality of life of patients with neurogenic or small-capacity bladder, but it can be associated with long-term complications. Regular bladder irrigation is recommended to maintain bladder mucosa integrity.