Pediatric Patients Undergoing Enterocystoplasty and Risk of Metabolic Disease: A Single Center Retrospective Study

Neurourol Urodyn. 2026 Jan;45(1):225-230. doi: 10.1002/nau.70169. Epub 2025 Oct 17.

Abstract

Introduction: Enterocystoplasty is a procedure that uses the ileum to augment a small bladder reservoir. Because many of the anorexigenic intestinal hormones are produced in the ileum, this study evaluates the incidence of developing metabolic complications in patients undergoing augmentation.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent an enterocystoplasty at a large pediatric tertiary center covering seven states. Because a large portion of patients undergoing enterocystoplasty had spina bifida, we included a separate control registry of spina bifida patients without augments. We evaluated both demographic and clinical risk factors for developing overweight, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Results: A total of 112 patients were eligible for analysis, with a median follow up time of 5 years. Approximately 61% of this cohort developed overweight or obesity. We did not find enterocystoplasty to be a risk factor in developing overweight or obesity (HR: 1.3, 95% CI: 0.865-1.982). Notable risk factors were having spina bifida and having an enterocystoplasty before puberty (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). The odds of developing overweight in the spina bifida patients was 4.2 (95% CI: 1.8-9.8). After adjusting for mobility, the hazard ratio of developing overweight or obesity was 3.48 (95% CI: 1.72-7.03) if a patient had enterocystoplasty before puberty versus later.

Conclusion: The rates of developing overweight or overweight are high in this cohort. Specific risk factors for developing overweight include having spina bifida and undergoing enterocystoplasty before puberty.

Clinical trial registration number: None, as this is a retrospective study not involved in the study of a new medication or procedure.

Keywords: enterocystoplasty; overweight; pre‐puberty; spina bifida.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ileum* / surgery
  • Male
  • Metabolic Diseases* / epidemiology
  • Metabolic Diseases* / etiology
  • Obesity / epidemiology
  • Obesity / etiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Spinal Dysraphism / complications
  • Spinal Dysraphism / epidemiology
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Urinary Bladder* / surgery