Long-Term Outcomes Following Bladder Augmentation in Children with Neurogenic Bladder

Bladder augmentation remains the final step in the management of refractory neurogenic bladder (NGB) for many children who have failed medical management. The long-term risks and benefits of augmentation surgery are important to understand when counseling patients about management options and when following augmented patients postoperatively. Benefits of bladder augmentation include improved continence, decreased risk of upper tract deterioration, possibly improved quality of life, and even reduced risk of renal-related mortality. However, risks are not trivial and include the potential need for further surgery, calculi formation, bladder perforation, acid-base disturbances, vitamin B12deficiency, and possibly malignancy. Therefore, patients considered for augmentation should be well counseled and selected and subsequently must be followed closely by an experienced urologist for the duration of their lives. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York.