ABSTRACT
When a patient with bladder dysfunction due to noncompliance or reduced functional capacity
does not benefit from conventional therapies, one choice for treatment is augmentation
cystoplasty. This procedure involves anastomosing a segment of bowel to the urinary bladder in
order to create a large, fully functional storage container that can be emptied at the patient’s will.
The procedure is typically performed using an open laparotomy incision and can utilize several
different portions of bowel, as long as the segments have good blood supplies and are of
adequate size (1). Each segment of bowel has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the
decision as to which portion to use is based on the history and current and future needs of
the patient, and the preference of the surgeon. This highly effective reconstructive technique
protects the upper urinary tract while allowing the patient to regain continence (2-5). First
performed in a dog in 1888, enterocystoplasty was later shown to be successful in human
subjects (6), and is currently the most widely accepted method of treating refractory bladder
dysfunction.
