Urologic intestinal reservoirs: the continent outlet

General use of standardized terminology and assessment of functional characteristics suggested by the International Continence Society will enable better comparison of the results and technical specifications of different continent outlets. According to the basic functional principle, continence mechanisms can be classified into extraluminally and intraluminally located continent outlets. Extraluminal continent outlets are easy to construct, but are associated with the risk of overflow incontinence. The use of invagination or intussusception nipple valves is associated with a long learning curve, tedious surgical technique and high complication rate. There is an increasing tendency to use the flap valve principle for construction of continent outlets, which guarantee a high rate of complete continence with an acceptable complication rate.