City Of Hope Radio

The diagnosis of bladder cancer or other serious bladder disease may sometimes necessitate the surgical removal of the bladder. In this situation, it is necessary to create a new way for the patient’s body to pass urine. This type of surgery is known as urinary diversion surgery. There are several options available for patients requiring urinary diversion.When the bladder is removed, the ureters need to be surgically connected to some type of urinary diversion to drain urine. All forms of urinary diversion use a part of the body's intestinal tract. This surgery can be performed to have the urine drain into an opening in the abdomen in either a continent or incontinent fashion, or can drain through the urethra (the tube in the penis/vagina) in a continent fashion. Jonathan “Nick” Warner, M.D. is here to discuss reconstructive urology and who requires reconstruction, what does this treatment involve and what recovery is like?