Totally laparoscopic combined freehand ileocystoplasty and Malone procedures

Cecostomy performed together with open enterocystoplasty can allow continent bowel evacuation in children with neurogenic dysfunction. We present the first report on a combined approach to fecal and urinary incontinence in children with myelomeningocele that was performed exclusively by freehand laparoscopy.

We treated six dysrhaphic patients for total urinary and fecal incontinence by laparoscopy. Through five ports, a selected segment of ileum was isolated with cautery. A single-layer intestinal anastomosis, fashioning of the U-shaped patch, and anastomosis to the opened bladder dome were all done by endocorporeal freehand suturing. The tip of the appendix was simply brought to the skin via a trocar site.

The procedures took 5 to 8.5 hours. Patients remained hospitalized for 5 to 16 days (median 5 days). At 13 to 16 months' follow-up, all patients remain continent of urine, and nearly perfect fecal continence has resulted on antegrade enema. Leak from the ileal anastomosis in one patient resolved rapidly with conservative management. One short retrocecal appendix later developed stenosis and was replaced by a tubed cecal flap.

Apart from its cosmetic advantage, this procedure is notable for addressing all evacuation problems at one session. Our suturing time seems reasonable compared with open sutured precedents. Use of a gastrointestinal stapling device for anastomosis would have significantly increased the cost while not necessarily guaranteeing against complications. We present this laparoscopic combination as an effective alternative to its open counterpart.