Appendicovesicostomy as an Alternative Procedure for Patients with Complex Urethral Distraction Defects

Purpose: Surgical repair of post-traumatic complex urethral stricture poses a major challenge to urologists. Here, we report six patients with irreparable urethral strictures who were successfully treated by using the appendix as conduit for urinary diversion. Materials and Methods: Six patients who had underwent urinary diversion using an appendix during 2015 to 2019 were included in our study. All patients had a history of one or more failed attempts of urethral reconstruction in the past. Mean follow-up for patients was 29 months. Continency was defined as being completely dry for at least 3 hours. Results: Mean age of patients was 40.1 years old (range: 20-70 years). Intermittent catheterization through the conduit was easily performed for every patient without any stomal stenosis. Mild stomal incontinence only occurred in one case which was resolved after a few months. All patients were continent during day and night. Conclusion: Based on the results of our study, Mitrofanoff’s technique is a valuable procedure for managing patients with serious complicated urethral strictures who cannot be treated with common standard approaches.