OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of extramural support from the pouch and abdominal wall to enhance the continent mechanism of tapered ileum. METHODS: A total of 24 patients underwent a procedure in which an ileal segment was tapered into an efferent tube, of which a part was placed between the back surface of the rectus muscle and the ileal pouch wall. The internal orifice of the tapered ileum was anastomosed to the ileal pouch and its external orifice was anastomosed to the umbilicus. A urodynamic study of the efferent tubes and pouch was done 1.5 to 3 months and 6 to 24 months postoperatively. RESULTS: One patient died of heart disease 55 days postoperatively, while 22 of the remaining 23 were completely continent day and night. At 1.5 to 3 months, the urodynamic study of the efferent tubes demonstrated that the maximum closure pressure with a full pouch was 46 - 124 cmH(2)O (91.26 +/- 15.71 cmH(2)O) and with an empty pouch was 34 - 84 cmH(2)O (67 +/- 10.60 cmH(2)O). The difference in mean maximum closure pressure in the full and empty pouches was statistically significant (t = -11.78 and P = 0.00001). At 6 to 24 months, a second urodynamic study was performed on 18 cases, demonstrating a reservoir capacity of 420 to 750 ml (481.67 +/- 78.83 ml). Reservoir pressure was 6 to 9 cmH(2)O (7.17 +/- 1.17 cmH(2)O) when the pouch was filled to 50 ml, and 16 to 35 cmH(2)O (24.12 +/- 5.61 cmH(2)O) when it was filled to maximum capacity. There was no contractive wave during the filling in any patient. Maximum closure pressure in the efferent tube was 80 to 194 cm H(2)O (98.89 +/- 26.34 cmH(2)O) when the pouch was filled with saline, and 64 to 128 cmH(2)O (74.78 +/- 14.54 cmH(2)O) when the pouch was empty. The difference in mean maximum closure pressure in the full and empty pouches was statistically significant (t = -7.58 and P = 0.00003). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the continent mechanism of tapered ileum may be greatly enhanced by extramural support from the abdominal and pouch walls.
