Transverse colon conduit: a method of urinary diversion after pelvic irradiation

Patients with pelvic malignancies often require irradiation as part of the treatment protocol or as definitive treatment for the malignancy. Subsequent urinary diversion with the low lying small bowel or the descending colon often results in increased morbidity. Therefore, a method of urinary diversion using the transverse colon conduit in an end-to-end ureterocolic anastomosis as described by Wallace was used. Several advantages with this method are identifiable easily and are described. The satisfactory results in the last 30 patients who underwent this procedure after pelvic irradiation are presented. The ureterocolic anastomosis with reflux is of particular importance since it allows retrograde conduitograms to be performed at later dates to evaluate the urothelium for possible recurrent disease.