A combined vertical and horizontal pelvic osteotomy approach for repair of bladder exstrophy: the Dana experience.
BACKGROUND
Bladder exstrophy is a severe congenital defect that requires a multidisciplinary treatment approach. Soft tissue repair may be successful during the first few days after birth, but a combination of pelvic osteotomies and bladder reconstruction is necessary later in life. The combination of externally fixed anterior and posterior osteotomies has biomechanical advantages over previous techniques for achieving primary bladder closure.


OBJECTIVE
To describe our experience with a combined vertical and horizontal pelvic osteotomy approach for the repair of bladder exstrophy.


METHODS
Four children underwent bladder exstrophy closure; the mean age at surgery was 19 months (range 9-33 months)... We stabilized the osteotomies with a small Synthes AO external fixator, 4.0 mm rod diameter.


RESULTS
All four patients had successful bladder repair with no dehiscence; two of them achieved partial continence, and bladder neck reconstruction is planned for the other two. Three of the four patients sustained neurologic injury; two completely recovered, and the third continues to suffer from right drop foot. The average follow-up was 39 months (range 10-60 months).


CONCLUSIONS
Vertical and horizontal pelvic osteotomies stabilized by external fixator and bladder repair is an effective treatment for bladder exstrophy.
Segev
Eitan
E
Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Dana Children's Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. esegev@tasmc.health.gov.il
Ezra
Elias
E
Binyamini
Yosef
Y
Wientroub
Shlomo
S
Ben-Chaim
Jacob
J
D001746:Bladder Exstrophy / Q000601:surgery*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods*; D010388:Pelvis; D016896:Treatment Outcome