[Vesicostomy in children. Our experience with 43 patients]

Cutaneous vesicostomy (CV) is a choice temporary urinary diversion technique for patients with upper urinary tract (URT) dilation, secondary to vesical o infravesical disease. The objective of this study is to share our experience in children undergoing such diversion, analysing its efficacy to prevent urinary infections, improve or resolve the ureterectasia, and stabilise or improve renal function; in short the functional and morphological recovery of URT.

43 children, mean age 2.5 years (range: 1 month-14 years) with ureterohydronephrosis grade IV-V, persistent urinary infection and/or renal function impairment underwent cutaneous vesicostomy (Blocksom's technique in 36 and Lapides' procedure in the rest). Thirty subjects had neuropathic bladder (26 with secondary vesicoureteral reflux), 7 massive primary vesicoureteral reflux, and 6 posterior urethral valve.

All children (100%) with neurogenic bladder (30 cases), showed improvement of ureteral-pyelic-calyceal ectasia after the diversion, and 90% improved renal function with disappearance of vesiculoureteral reflux in 65%. Augmentation cystoplasty with gut was performed in 12 patients during vesicostomy closure, using Mitrofanoff's type diversion in 5 of them. The same continent diversion with cecal appendix was used in another 7 children as the only procedure. The remaining 11 children still retain their vesicostomy. In 5 of the 7 children with primary vesicoureteral reflux, the reflux disappeared and so the vesicostomy was closed. Reflux correction during the same surgical procedure was required for the other 2 children. Of the 6 children with posterior urethral valves, 2 received a renal transplant, one is in waiting list and the rest (50%) maintain an acceptable renal function. In the first year of follow-up, 4 patients developed symptomatic urinary infection that later disappeared. The rest had occasional asymptomatic bacteriuria that required no treatment. Complications included vesical prolapse due to ostomy in 4 patients, lithiasis in 3 and stomal stenosis in 2.

We consider vesicostomy to be the choice urinary diversion technique in cases of common section obstruction and/or non-obstructive ureterohydronephrosis in new-borns who do not improve with conservative treatment.