Background: The conventional surgical treatment for vesioureteral reflux (VUR) is spina bifida patients is ureterocystoneostomy. Various newer therapies, including augmentation enterocystoplasty and minimally invasive subureteral collagen injection, have been introduced. However, all of these procedures have specific advantages and disadvantages, and no guidelines for deciding on the surgical treatment of VUR in spina bifida patients have yet been established. In this study, the long-term outcome of the Cohen procedure, a method of ureterocystoneostomy, was examined.
Patients and methods: Among spina bifida patients in whom VUR was treated by the Cohen procedure alone from 1984 to 1989, 27 patients who could be followed up for 5 years or longer were enrolled in the study (11 males and 16 females, with a mean age of 13.4 years at surgery). In principle, they were followed up using annual cystography, excretory urography, and blood and urine tests. At the final assessment, they were examined for the presence at VUR and for morphological abnormalities of the urinary tract. Their renal function was also assessed. They were followed for 6 to 13 years (mean: 8.9 years), and the mean age at final assessment was 22.2 years.
Results: Among 42 ureters in the 27 patients examined, 38 ureters (90.5%) in 22 patients (81.5%) did not have VUR postoperatively. Four ureters in 4 patients had the recurrence of VUR, and in another patient new occurrence was detected postoperatively. Augmentation ileocystoplasty was performed to treat the postoperative decrease of bladder compliance in 4 patients. Among 22 patients who had hydronephrosis preoperatively, 9 (40.9%) showed improvement and none suffered from aggravation of this condition. None of the patients showed a decline of renal function, except for 1 who had a serum creatinine of 2.5 mg/dl preoperatively and developed end-stage renal failure at 7 years postoperatively.
Conclusions: The Cohen procedure has an excellent anti-reflux effect. It is one of the therapeutic options for VUR in patients with good bladder compliance.