Percutaneous cecostomy for management of fecal incontinence in pediatric patients.
OBJECTIVE
To report the authors' experience with percutaneous cecostomy and demonstrate its effectiveness in the management of pediatric patients with fecal incontinence.


METHODS
Between March 2002 and November 2006, 21 percutaneous cecostomy procedures were performed in 20 patients in whom classical therapeutic approaches for the management of fecal incontinence had failed. Eighteen patients had anorectal malformations, one had myelomeningocele, and one had chronic constipation. All procedures were performed under general anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance. In all cases, an 8.5-F Dawson-Mueller catheter was placed in the cecum and exchanged after 45 days with a cecostomy button (ie, Trapdoor catheter). Data regarding complications, effectiveness of treatment, satisfaction, and quality of life were obtained by interviewing the patients' parents at follow-up consultation.


RESULTS
Nineteen of 20 procedures were technically successful. There were no major complications. All patients' symptoms of incontinence improved. Ninety percent of patients in our series (n = 18) reported satisfaction with the procedure, mainly related to their independence and quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
Percutaneous cecostomy is a safe and effective procedure for the management of pediatric patients with fecal incontinence. Percutaneous cecostomy allows antegrade and more physiologic colon irrigation, avoiding the need for multiple retrograde enemas, achieving more patient independence, and improving quality of life.
Department of Interventional Radiology, Hospital de Pediatria Prof. Dr. J.P. Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina. sergio.sierre@usa.net
Sergio
S
Sierre
Jose
J
Lipsich
Horacio
H
Questa
Marcela
M
Bailez
Julieta
J
Solana
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D002431:Cecostomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation; D002648:Child; D004867:Equipment Design; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012107:Research Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome