Use of Ileocecal Continent Urinary Reservoir in Patients with Previous Pelvic Irradiation

Objective. To assess the results of the use of ileocecal continent urinary reservoirs in patients with previous pelvic irradiation. Methods. A retrospective analysis for morbidity and clinical outcome was undertaken for 37 female patients with prior therapeutic pelvic irradiation who underwent continent urinary diversion with a detubularized right colonic segment as the urinary reservoir, a plicated ileocecal valve as the continence mechanism, and a tapered distal ileum for efferent catheterization. Results. Thirty-one patients had persistent or recurrent pelvic malignancies, 17 of whom had total pelvic exenteration and 14 had anterior exenteration. The remaining 6 patients had radiation-induced vesicovaginal fistulas without evidence of recurrence and underwent urinary diversion alone. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 33 months (median 11 months). Postoperative radiographic evaluation revealed no evidence of urinary extravasation. Of the 74 implanted ureters, 4 had reflux (5%), 2 developed stricture (3%), and 5 had mild to moderate hydronephrosis (7%). All patients achieved daytime continence with catheterization intervals of 3–8 hr (median 4 hr) and capacities of 200–1000 cc (median 500 cc). Nighttime continence was reported by 33 of 37 patients (89%). Reoperation was required in 3 patients (8%), 2 with stoma stenosis and 1 with difficulty in catheterization. Conclusions. The use of the ileocecal continent urinary reservoir in patients with previous pelvic irradiation achieves results comparable to those reported for nonirradiated patients, thus supporting its use in this select group of patients.