Robot-assisted continent urinary diversion according to the Mitrofanoff principle: results of a bicentric study

To assess the outcomes of continent urinary diversion according to the Mitrofanoff principle by robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery in terms of continence, catheterization and repeat surgery.

All adult patients who underwent procedures for continent urinary diversion via a robot-assisted laparoscopic route between October 2014 and November 2018 were enrolled retrospectively. Abdominal continence and clean intermittent catheterization ability were noted, as well as patient characteristics, details of the technique, intra- and perioperative parameters, and complications.

Ten patients were included. Bladder-sphincter disorders were due to neurological causes in nine patients, and one patient had idiopathic bladder sphincter dyssynergia. A continent catheterizable channel was created using the appendix in six cases and the ileum in four cases. The median operative duration was 245 min (IQR 228-370). Two patients had a Clavien 3 complication requiring laparoscopy to separately drain a haematoma and a pelvic abscess. The median follow-up was 21 months (IQR 17-27). Abdominal continence without further intervention was obtained in 6/10 patients (60%). Two patients needed an open revision of the continent urinary diversion, one required injection of Deflux^® and one an intradetrusorian injection of botulinum toxin type A (Botox^®). Further surgery was needed for two patients to improve urethral continence. At the end of follow-up, all patients were continent and clean intermittent catheterization was possible.

Continent urinary diversion performed according to the Mitrofanoff principle is possible via a robot-assisted laparoscopic route and yields good outcomes on abdominal continence in the short term in patients with clean intermittent catheterization ability.