The transverse colonic reservoir: the Unicamp technique

To present the results of a continent and nonrefluxing transverse colonic urinary reservoir technique.

Twenty patients who had received high doses of irradiation underwent construction of transverse colonic reservoir as a primary form of urinary diversion. Fourteen patients had a vesicovaginal fistula after definitive radiation therapy for gynaecological tumours and six had radiation therapy for invasive bladder cancer as a definitive treatment. They were followed for a median (range) of 4.5(1-8) years. Intravenous pyelography before diversion showed mild hydronephrosis in 10 patients.

After diversion, hydronephrosis improved in four patients and no upper tract deteriorated. All but one of the pouchograms showed no ureteric reflux. All the patients required clean intermittent self-catheterization every 3-4 h. Persistent asymptomatic bacteriuria was present in 14 patients, although clinical urinary tract infections were not reported. A moderate metabolic acidosis was present in 12 patients, but none required treatment. The urodynamic evaluation revealed a median (range) reservoir capacity of 450 (350-600) mL, with no contractions or contractions of <35 cm H2O.

These results suggest that the Unicamp technique for constructing a transverse colonic reservoir is a safe and effective diversion, and is recommended as an alternative method for patients treated by pelvic irradiation.