Urostomy, Ostomy, Stomas can be difficult to identify the difference. Sometimes our bodies do not work as they should, and we need to have certain procedures in order to help our body process certain bodily fluids such as urine. A urostomy is when the surgeon creates an opening in the stomach to diverts the urinary tract to a new exit point for your urine. After the surgery, you will have a pouch surgically on the outside of your stomach that collects the urine. There are many reasons someone could potentially need a urostomy such as bladder cancer, trauma, birth defect constant infections, or interstitial cystitis. Urostomy should not be confused with a colostomy or ileostomy. These surgeries are used to divert the flow of fecal matter to an outside pouch similar to the urostomy. Both procedures require something called a stoma.
The stoma is the medical term used to describe the opening in the belly where the ostomy is sewn to. The stoma is usually a pink round fleshy tissue. There are three different ways to divert the urine away from the bladder. The first is called the continent catheterization pouch. This is when a pouch is made out of the person's intestines. This pouch holds the urine inside the body just like a bladder does but cannot contract to fully push the urine out. This type of catheter must pass through a stoma into the pouch to drain the urine multiple times a day. When the particular pouch is being put in, the colon and cecum are made into the pouch and the ileum is pulled through the urostomy, exposed to the outside of the belly, and then formed into a stoma. The ureters are cut from the bladder and sewn onto the pouch.
The ileal conduit is made from the small intestines This surgery has a part of the ileum removed from the bowl and then the other end is closed off and pulled through the urostomy and made into the stoma. The two ureters are sewn to the ileum. This is a smaller size opening where urine is not collected but constantly flowing out of the stoma.
Finally, the last way to divert the urine is through the neobladder. This is when the bladder is completely removed and a new one is made usually from different parts of the intestines. With the neobladder, there is no need for a stoma to drain and no urostomy is created. The neobladder takes the place of the old bladder and it is sewn into a place where the old bladder was so the urine can flow from your kidneys. With the new bladder, it does take some training to continue to urinate again, but after some time it should be like normal. With the neobladder, there are some side effects such as urinary retention and leaking. This is something that is normal at first.
It is very important to take care of yourself once you have a urostomy and stoma. It is recommended to not do anything strenuous such as heavy lifting for several weeks. Washing your hands before you touch or clean your stoma is very important to prevent bacteria from entering the system. Ensure there is no discoloration, change in size or discharge coming from your stoma, and if so, always contact your doctor.
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