Is Onabotulinum Toxin-A Combined Injection in the Bowel Patch and the Bladder Remnant a Safe Alternative to Bladder Re-Augmentation?

[OBJECTIVE] To assess both the safety and efficacy, in terms of symptomatic improvement, of botulinum toxin injections distributed in the bowel patch and the bladder remnant of failed augmented bladders.

[MATERIALS AND METHODS] A retrospective study was performed on patients with augmented bladders who had presented with clinical and/or urodynamic failure and had received an onabotulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) injection at both the bowel and the bladder level due to refractoriness to oral treatment. The primary variable tested was safety, which was assessed by analysing the adverse effects according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. Subjective improvement was assessed by means of the Treatment Benefit Scale (TBS) as a secondary variable.

[RESULTS] Eight patients who underwent a total of 23 procedures were analysed. The mean age at first injection was 23 years. The mean interval between bladder augmentation and first BTX-A injection was 65.11 months. The mean interval between BTX-A injections was 11.6 months. No adverse effects due to systemic absorption were recorded. The only postoperative complication was an afebrile urinary infection (Clavien-Dindo 2) in 2 out of 23 procedures (8.7%). Eighty-six percent (19/22) of the procedures yielded a symptomatic benefit (TBS 1 and 2).

[CONCLUSION] Injection of onabotulinum toxin-A in both the bowel patch and the bladder remnant appears to be a safe and efficient technique for the symptomatic treatment of patients with bladder augmentation who have shown clinical and/or urodynamic failure in response to a conservative treatment. This procedure allows bladder re-augmentation to be delayed or even avoided.