Continent Catheterizable Channels

Abstract

The concept of clean intermittent catheterization and its efficacy in emptying urinary reservoirs was first introduced by Lapides in 1972 and is accepted as the first step in the use of continent catheterizable channels (CCC). Subsequent important progress in CCC includes performance of the first continent cystostomy by Mitrofanoff in the 1980s, acknowledgment of lowpressure reservoirs from the beginning of the 1980s, recognition of the importance and efficacy of colonic washouts in the management of fecal continence, and the first continent cecostomy performed by Malone in 1990. CCC are used in anorectal malformations (ARM) for problems involving the gastrointestinal and/or urinary systems. The aim is to overcome fecal and urinary incontinence concomitantly. These circumstances also lead to competition for the appendix, since this has been the favored channel for both the Malone’s antegrade colonic enema (MACE) and Mitrofanoff procedures. These limitations have lead to the creation of new techniques for these channels.