Mitrofanoff stoma--an iceberg of problems?

The advent of a self-catheterisable continent abdominal wall urinary stoma has provided an enormous improvement in the quality of life for many patients. Successful results of surgery have been presented from many centres. However, these reports concentrate on the technical aspect of patient care. In this paper we review the work of the outreach nursing sister in supporting thirty patients operated upon during a four-year period, and their families.