Hemi-Kock reconstruction following cystectomy: experience and results from a small urological unit

Between December 1988 and January 1992, 11 men underwent lower urinary tract reconstruction by means of the hemi-Kock ileal reservoir following radical cystoprostatectomy (ten patients) and subtotal cystectomy (one patient). Six of the 11 patients developed an early postoperative complication, with a fatal outcome in two of them. One patient succumbed to subarachnoidal bleeding and one to septic shock. During the follow-up, another two men died of advanced bladder carcinoma. The late complication rate was low. Most patients regained their continence within six months. A good continence was achieved in all the nine remaining patients during the day and in six of them at night. This experience suggests that the hemi-Kock reservoir is a useful method for the urinary tract reconstruction following cystectomy.