2006 - UZ Leuven

children achieve bladder and bowel control, the goal of medicalcaretakers should be to make these children also dry for bladder andbowel control, so that they can be socially integrated. If they are ableto join normal school it has been shown that these children arehappier and perform much better socially than if they would grow up inan environment with only physically or mentally disabled patients.Renal failure and complications are still the most common cause ofdeath in all age categories. Early intervention, regular diagnosticexamination, and patient education are most likely to lead to the mostsuccessful outcome. From a pediatric urological point of view, it is veryimportant to introduce intermittent catheterization as soon as possibleto familiarize the patient and caretakers with this technique. Inaddition, the pediatric urologist must also treat the impaired bowelfunction and must be one of the first to bring up the subject of sexualidentity and development. Of course, there is more, and only togetherwith a multidisciplinary team consisting of pediatricians, socialworkers, urotherapists or nurses, neurosurgeons, orthopedicsurgeons, physiotherapists, and all those wanting to devote time andcare to these children and their families, can the team make adifference. Working as a team, the impaired quality of life of a childborn with spina bifida can be decreased, and one can significantlycontribute to make these children and their families happy in society.CLAERHOUT F., COOREMANS G., DE RIDDER D., DEPREST J.:Anatomical and functional outcome after laparoscopic sacralcolpopexy: a prospective long-term follow up of 222 patients. Ing. J.Urogynaecol., 2006, 17S (Abstract 029).Objectives: Evaluation of the anatomical and functional outcome overlong term in a series of 222 patients undergoing laparoscopicsacrocolpopexy (LS) for vaginal vault prolapse.Materials and methods: Preoperative and postoperative evaluationconsisted of a structured interview by a standard questionnaire toassess prolapse symptoms, bladder, bowel and sexual function,clinical examination according to the Baden Walker vaginal profile andthe POPQ-score, a multichannel urodynamic investigation and RXcolpocystodefaecography. The primary approach was laparoscopy,unless if the latter was judged to be inappropriate (10%).Postoperative reviews performed at 6 w, 6 m and annually after by athird person.Results: 222 patients underwent 224 sacral colpopexies between May1996 and October 2005. Ninety-five percent of the patients werefollowed-up for a mean of 37.8 ±29.1 months (range 3-115). Thirtyonepercent underwent a concomitant procedure (7.1% subtotalhysterectomy, 11.1% rectopexy, 4.5% anti-incontinence surgery).129