Primary bladder closure and bladder neck reconstruction in classical bladder exstrophy.

The surgical results of 28 consecutive initial bladder closures and 25 consecutive initial bladder neck reconstructions performed for classical bladder exstrophy at our hospital between 1975 and 1982 are presented. Partial bladder prolapse occurred in 2 cases and complete wound dehiscence never occurred following the initial primary bladder closure. Urinary continence following bladder neck reconstruction was assessed from parental interviews. An excellent surgical result was defined either as achievement of a daytime dry interval for more than 3 hours or less than 1 incontinent episode per day. According to these parameters, an excellent surgical result was achieved in 86 and 80 per cent of children, respectively. In 21 children evaluated with excretory urograms between 1/2 and 6 years after bladder neck reconstruction 10 per cent of the renal units showed significant hydronephrosis and deterioration of function. The 2 patients who had upper tract deterioration were not followed postoperatively at our institution and the diagnosis of bladder outlet obstruction was delayed when excretory urograms were not obtained during the first postoperative year. This review of the surgical results following primary bladder closure and bladder neck reconstruction for classical bladder exstrophy demonstrates that secure abdominal wall closure and urinary continence can be achieved with minimal morbidity and with infrequent deterioration of renal function following staged functional bladder closure.