Creating a new wave in neobladders.

Creating a new wave in neobladders

Stapling together replacement bladders from loops of the bowel could replace urine-collecting bags and catheters now attached to the outside of the body in patients who have lost their original bladders. Surgeons at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore report success in creating an internal, so-called neobladder from bowel segments that is then connected to urine-carrying tubes, allowing patients to urinate normally. Fray Marshall of Johns Hopkins calls the technique a "significant change" in restoring quality of life to patients after surgery for bladder cancer, which will cause an estimated 46,000 new cass this year in the United States. He and his co-workers have performed the experimental operation on 17 patients thus far, reducing the time needed for the procedure from 14 hours to 8 hours. He cautions that many patients, particularly elderly, may not be candidates for the procedure.