[Cutaneous urine shunts in adults (author's transl)]

The authors review 123 cases of cutaneous urine shunts in adults. - 93 cutaneous ureterostomies in 63 patients (58 malignant and 5 tuberculous lesions). There were 5 postoperative deaths (8%) and in the 36 operated cases followed-up for varying periods there was 1 death only from progressive renal insufficiency (2.7%), 10 minor incidents (27.8%) and 2 cases with kidney stones (5.5%). Not one of these patients had to be operated on again - 3 cutaneous uretero-ureterostomies with 2 excellent results and necrosis of the foot of the Y in the other case. - 45 transintestinal cutaneous ureterostomies (38 ileal loops and 7 colon grafts) for fistula of the lower urinary tract (2 cases), malignant tumors (35 cases), tuberculosis (1 case), bladder extrophia (1 case), neurological bladder (6 cases). There were 4 early postoperative deaths (8.9%) and 5 severe complications (2 eviscerations, 2 occlusions, 1 digestive tract hemorrhage). Of the 37 operated cases followed-up for varying periods, 5 (13.5%) had diminished renal function, 23 (62%) had late complications requiring further operations in 17 cases (45.9%). These complications were 7 cases of stenosis of the ureter, 1 case of fistual of the ureter, 1 ileal fistula, 4 cases of stenosis of the graft opening, 3 prolapses of the graft, 1 skin lesion, 5 kidney stones and 1 case in which reflux was poorly tolerated. - 12 transprosthetic cutaneous ureterostomies with only 2 good results. No cutaneous shunt operation is exempt from complication. Transprosthetic cutaneous ureterostomies are probably the least affected. Direct cutaneous ureterostomies are statistically better tolerated than transintestinal cutaneous ureterostomies, which appear to have the major inconvenience of deteriorating at a later stage, requiring repeated further operations.