Bone health in patients with cloacal exstrophy and persistent cloaca after bladder augmentation

In this study, the prevalence of osteoporosis was evaluated in patients operated on for cloacal exstrophy or persistent cloaca and who had undergone bladder augmentation.

Seven patients operated on because of cloacal exstrophy and 3 patients operated on because of persistent cloaca were evaluated. Patients were clinically assessed. Areal bone mineral density for the lumbar spine (L1-L4), femoral neck, and whole body was measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Acid-base balance, plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (vitamin D), and gonadal function were determined and correlated with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry results.

The patients were small in height (median, -2.2 SD). According to areal bone mineral density measurements, 40% of the patients had significantly reduced BMD. When the values were adjusted for patient size, only 1 patient had slightly reduced bone mass. Half of the patients had low vitamin D values. The height-corrected bone mineral content values showed a positive correlation with vitamin D values (P = .0072) but were not different in patients with and without hypogonadism (P = .33).

Patients with cloacal exstrophy or complicated cloaca have many risk factors for osteoporosis. However, this study showed good overall bone health in affected adolescents.