Cystostomy

Cystostomy, most often performed as a suprapubic cystostomy, creates a surgical opening between the urinary bladder and the skin of the lower abdomen so urine can drain when the normal path out of the bladder is blocked. It treats blockages caused by conditions such as an enlarged prostate, urethral injury, a birth defect of the urinary tract, a kidney stone stuck in the urethra, or a tumor, and it is also used for patients, including many with spinal cord injuries, who cannot empty their bladder through the urethra at all. A doctor inserts a thin catheter through the skin just above the pubic bone into the bladder, usually guided by ultrasound, and leaves it in place for about a month while scar tissue forms a permanent channel; after that the catheter is changed on a regular schedule to prevent infection.