Continent urinary diversion: reservoir considerations

The goal of continent urinary diversion is a low-pressure and capacious reservoir with continence and voluntary control of emptying or voiding. Renal function must be preserved, but intestinal malabsorption, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, long-term metabolic sequelae (caused by urinary solute reabsorption from the reservoir), and late neoplastic change should be avoided. So far, not all of these requirements can be met simultaneously and, therefore, compromise is necessary. We review recent work relating to the reservoirs of continent diversions and highlight the underlying principles.