Colpo-wrap: a new continence procedure

To present a new surgical method to increase bladder outlet resistance for the treatment of urinary incontinence in girls and women.

Six patients (mean age 9.6 years), with urinary incontinence were operated using the new technique within the last 3 years. The principle of the procedure is tightening of the bladder neck by mobilizing the anterior vaginal wall and wrapping it around the bladder neck and proximal urethra, in the sense of a vaginoplication (colpoplication). The underlying conditions and causes for urinary incontinence was neurogenic bladder-sphincter dysfunction caused by myelodysplasia in three girls and anorectal malformation combined with a tethered spinal cord in one. In one case incontinence was caused by a cloacal anomaly and one girl had intrinsic sphincter insufficiency after repetitive Otis urethrotomies. The colpo-wrap was combined with a bladder augmentation and Mitrofanoff in three patients, the three other girls undergoing isolated procedures.

The result of the method is a constant increase in outlet resistance and coaptation of the urethra, comparable with the effect of a vaginal sling procedure. Five patients are completely dry after surgery, one girl with cloaca needed an additional bladder neck injection with hyaluranon/dextranomer copolymer. Transurethral catheterization was possible after surgery with no problems in all patients who required intermittent catheterization.

Considering the feasibility of this technique the colpo-wrap is a reasonable alternative for treating urinary incontinence in females.