Integrated Treatment by an Ostomy Care Team of a Complicated Mucocutaneous Separation After Radical Cystectomy With Ileal Conduit Urinary Diversion: A Case Report.

An ileal conduit for urinary diversion after radical cystectomy is a common surgical procedure for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Mucocutaneous separation, one of several potential complications following surgery, can cause life-threatening sepsis and may have long-term consequences such as stomal stenosis or retraction. However, there are few reports describing the treatment of mucocutaneous separation. PURPOSE: The purpose of this case study was to report the outcome of a team-based, integrated conservative treatment of a 46-year-old patient with a complex mucocutaneous separation. CASE STUDY: Abdominal distension, fever, and progressive oliguria developed in the patient 6 days after radical cystectomy and ileal conduit surgery. Gastrointestinal decompression, parenteral nutrition, urinary diversion, and antibiotic therapy were initiated. Fifteen (15) days postoperatively, peristomal ulcers and mucocutaneous separation were observed. After 16 days of treatment with hydrocolloid powder, a silver-containing hydrofiber dressing, and meticulous pouching techniques, the wounds were healed. No additional peristomal lesions developed or surgical procedures were required for repairing the stoma, and no adverse reactions were seen. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive treatment provided by an ostomy care team facilitated the recovery and healing of a patient who had a complicated mucocutaneous separation of his urostomy.

Refractory hematuria in an oliguric patient after pancreas transplantation with exocrine pancreas bladder drainage.

A 52-yr-old man presented with hematuria and clot retention. He had undergone simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation with exocrine pancreas bladder drainage 16 yr ago. The patient suffered from progressive transplant kidney failure with gradually decreasing urine output and needed hemodialysis every other day. Gross hematuria persisted after removal of all blood clots. Cystoscopy showed multiple small, flat ulcers of the bladder mucosa. Some bled discretely and were coagulated cautiously. However, hematuria was refractory to multiple urological interventions, which eventually necessitated an enteric diversion of the exocrine pancreas. Hematuria ceased following an uneventful postoperative course.

Renal transplantation in patients with "valve bladder": is bladder augmentation necessary?

INTRODUCTION: Posterior urethral valve is a common cause of renal failure in children. This disorder often results in small bladder and low compliance, which frequently requires bladder augmentation. Herein, we report our experience in 5 children with "valve bladder" who underwent renal transplantation without preliminary bladder enlargement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen children with valve bladder undergoing renal transplantation were considered candidates for bladder augmentation. All had oligoanuria at transplantation. In 8 children, bladder augmentation was performed before renal transplantation; in the remaining 5, the decision was postponed until after transplantation. These children underwent transplantation with a ureteral reimplant, and a suprapubic catheter was in place for 2 months. Periodically, renal function, bladder capacity, and compliance were assessed, and renal ultrasonography was performed. RESULTS: At 1-, 2-, 4-, and 6-month follow-up, the 5 children who did not undergo bladder augmentation demonstrated normal renal function, with improved bladder capacity and absence of hydronephrosis. No significant difference was evident between the 2 groups (augmented vs nonaugmented) insofar as renal function, bladder capacity, or hydronephrosis. After transplantation, bladder augmentation was not deemed necessary in any of the 5 children because of complete restoration of clinical and urodynamic parameters. CONCLUSION: Renal transplantation can be performed safely without preemptive bladder augmentation. Ureteral reimplantation is recommended, even in patients with small valve bladders. The decision about the need for bladder augmentation should be made only after normal diuresis is restored.

Bladder cancer with obstructive uremia: oncologic outcome after definitive surgical management.

OBJECTIVES: To report the surgical and oncologic outcomes of patients with bladder cancer who present with obstructive uremia. METHODS: A total of 61 patients presented to our institute with obstructive oliguria or anuria concomitant with bladder cancer. The mean serum creatinine at presentation was 11.4 +/- 5.1 mg%. After stabilization of kidney function following nephrostomy drainage, only 38 patients were eligible for radical cystectomy. Analysis of the intraoperative findings, early postoperative course, definitive histopathologic findings, and long-term functional and oncologic outcome was performed. The mean follow-up period was 16.2 +/- 8.1 months (range 8 to 134). RESULTS: Radical cystectomy with bilateral iliac lymphadenectomy was feasible in 26 patients, palliative cystectomy in 10, and ileal conduit only without cystectomy in 2. The postoperative morbidity was minimal and treated conservatively. Bladder cancer causing uremia was invasive in 94.5%, and was pathologic Stage T4 in 30.5% of cases. At the mean follow-up, treatment failure was observed in 26 patients (68.4%), with only 12 patients living free of disease and a mean serum creatinine of 1.4 +/- 0.7 mg%. Although none of the preoperative variables proved to be predictive of the oncologic outcome, significant correlation was found between the tumor stage and grade, as well as lymph node involvement, and treatment failure. CONCLUSIONS: Although bladder cancer causing obstructive uremia is almost always muscle invasive, with a large proportion of patients presenting with locally advanced disease, an adequate number of these patients could achieve long-term disease-free survival.

Renal revascularization in patients on dialysis.

Five patients requiring dialysis for acute pulmonary edema and uremia from severe renal artery occlusive disease underwent surgical revascularization. Three patients with oliguria had excellent outcomes and remain dialysis-independent as long as twenty-four months following operation (mean serum creatinine 2.0 mg/dl). The two patients who were anuric both had technically successful operations but remained dialysis-dependent. Diagnostic evaluation of the azotemic patient suspected to have renal arterial occlusive disease should include a history and physical examination, urinalysis, renal ultrasound, and duplex scan of the renal arteries. In appropriate patients, arteriography should then be considered if other diagnoses appear unlikely. This algorithm may help identify those patients who might benefit from renal revascularization. It appears that oliguria rather than anuria and the angiographic demonstration of a patent distal vessel and nephrogram suggest a better functional outcome after revascularization. Unfortunately, the response to surgery cannot be reliably predicted and patient selection remains a challenge, but retrieval of renal function can be achieved in some cases even if patients are already being hemodialyzed.

The measurement of intra-abdominal pressure as a criterion for abdominal re-exploration.

Acute elevation of intra-abdominal pressure above 30 mmHg caused oliguria in 11 postoperative patients. Operative re-exploration and decompression in seven patients resulted in immediate diuresis. Four patients who were not re-explored developed renal failure and died. If intra-abdominal pressure rises above 25 mmHg in the early postoperative period and is associated with oliguria and normal blood pressure and cardiac index, the patient should undergo re-exploration and decompression of the abdomen.

Revascularization for bilateral renal artery occlusion after umbilical artery catheterization.

The case of a newborn infant who became hypertensive and oliguric because of bilateral renal artery occlusion following umbilical artery catheterization is presented. Eventual treatment was by microsurgical placement of an aortorenal graft, with subsequent marked improvement in the patient's course. A scan and arteriogram at 1 year showed that the revascularized kidney was responsible for the patient's normal blood urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations, but the renal artery had recanalized and the graft occluded. The role of umbilical artery catheterization in such catastrophes and the possible future role such microsurgical reconstruction could play in neonatal hypertension are discussed.

Bilateral renal artery stenosis causing acute oliguric renal failure. Report of a case corrected by renovascular surgery.

A 70-year-old woman with chronic hypertension and previously normal renal function had acute oliguric renal failure requiring hemodialysis. Renal arteriograms revealed the presence of bilateral renal artery stenosis and normal-sized kidneys. Nineteen days after admission to hospital, after undergoing nine hemodialysis procedures, surgical revascularization of renal artery stenosis was performed utilizing a single bypass graft of the left renal artery. Postoperatively, an immediate diuresis ensued, with resolution of acute renal failure. It is critically important in the evaluation of patients with anuria, acute renal failure without obvious cause, or impending uremia in patients with chronic stable renal insufficiency, to consider the possibility of renal artery stenosis or thrombosis. Recognition and then surgical correction of significant renal arterial hypoperfusion allows the reasonable potential for reversibility of this important form of acute or progressive renal failure.