Choices in creating continent urostomies following pelvic exenteration for gynecologic malignancies

The purpose of this report was to describe a rationale for choosing from a variety of techniques to construct continent urinary diversions for patients who undergo pelvic exenterations. Moreover, this report evaluated the technique and utility of a continent urostomy created from a supracecal segment of colon.

The charts from patients who underwent pelvic exenterations and urinary diversions by DFS between September 1999 and December 2000 were reviewed after institutional review board approval. Data were recorded and evaluated.

Four patients underwent total pelvic exenterations and one received an anterior exenteration. Recurrent vulvar, vaginal, and cervical cancers were diagnosed in one, one, and two of the patients. One patient had an unknown primary squamous cell carcinoma in the pelvis. Four of the five received prior pelvic radiotherapy either in the neoadjuvant setting or as treatment for their primary disease. All five patients chose to have continent urostomies constructed. One Kock (ileal) pouch, one Miami (iliocolonic) pouch, and three supracecal colonic continent urostomies (SCCCU) were built. All five maintained continence over the follow-up period (mean follow-up time = 8.2 months). No complications related to the urostomies required reoperation. A new technique to for the construction of a SCCCU is described.

With a variety of procedures established to build continent urostomies, the choice of which to use should be individualized to the patient's situation as well as to the surgeon's experience. The use of a SCCCU requires moderately complex manipulations of the colon (described in the text) and a slight increase in the operative time; however, it results in successful continence and avoids complications related to radiation-injured bowel. It may be considered the procedure of choice for patients who have received prior radiation therapy. Long-term follow-up is needed.