Bladder Diverticulectomy in Sharjah

What is bladder diverticulectomy?

Bladder diverticulectomy is surgery to remove a pouch that has ballooned out from the bladder. The bladder is a muscular bag, and its muscle layer has a few natural gaps where the ureters pass through. When pressure inside the bladder stays high for a long time, the thin inner lining can push out through one of these gaps and form a sac, called a diverticulum.

A diverticulum has no muscle of its own, so it stays slack when the bladder squeezes to pass urine. Urine flows into it as the bladder contracts and trickles back afterwards, which leaves stale urine behind. That pooled urine is the reason a pouch can cause trouble.

At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, the consultant urologist performs bladder diverticulectomy in-house, either as keyhole surgery, described on the laparoscopic urology page, or through an incision in the lower abdomen.

Who needs it

Many small diverticula cause no symptoms and are simply watched. Removal is considered for a pouch that:

• causes repeated urinary infections
• holds a stone, or keeps forming stones
• leaves a large amount of urine behind after you pass water
• presses on the ureter and blocks drainage from a kidney
• has an abnormal area of lining inside it

Symptoms that lead to the diagnosis include passing urine in two stages, a feeling of incomplete emptying, recurrent infections and blood in the urine.

In adults, and especially in men, the pouch usually forms because something slows the outflow, most often an enlarged prostate, sometimes a narrowed urethra or a bladder whose nerves are affected. Treating that blockage is part of the plan, either before or during the same operation, as described on the prostate surgery page. In children, a diverticulum is more often present from birth, near where the ureter enters the bladder, and may be linked to reflux.

The work-up usually includes a cystoscopy to look inside the pouch, a CT scan or ultrasound to show its size and position, and often urodynamic testing to measure bladder pressure and emptying. The urologist uses these results to decide whether removing the pouch, treating the blockage alone, or both is right for you.

What happens

Bladder diverticulectomy is done under general anaesthesia. A telescope check at the start often helps the surgeon locate the neck of the pouch, sometimes with a thin tube placed in the nearby ureter to protect it.

The surgeon reaches the bladder through small keyhole incisions or one lower abdominal incision, separates the pouch from the tissue around it, removes it, and closes the opening in the bladder wall in layers. The removed pouch is sent to the laboratory, which examines its lining. If the prostate is being treated in the same sitting, that part is usually done through the urethra.

A urinary catheter rests the bladder while the stitched wall heals, and a small drain is often placed beside the bladder. Before the catheter comes out, the team may arrange an X-ray with contrast in the bladder, a cystogram, to confirm the repair is watertight. Most people stay in hospital for a short period.

Preparing for it

A urine test checks for infection, and any infection is treated first. You have blood tests, an anaesthetic review and a check of kidney function. Bring your scan, cystoscopy and urodynamic reports, and a full list of medicines; blood thinners and diabetes medicines need a clear plan, and you receive fasting instructions.

Arrange help at home and a lift home. Raise Ramadan timing early so fasting, fluids and medicines can be agreed.

Afterwards

Bladder spasms, a cramp low in the tummy, and some blood in the urine are common while the catheter is in. You may go home with the catheter and return for its removal. Drink steadily, keep the wound clean and dry, and in the Sharjah heat avoid sweating into the dressing.

Once the catheter is out, follow-up checks how well your bladder now empties. Desk work, driving and manual work each follow their own timeline, which the urologist plans with you.

Contact the hospital urgently if you develop a fever, the wound reddens or leaks, or the catheter stops draining. **Go to the emergency department straight away if you have heavy bleeding with clots, severe abdominal pain, or are unable to pass urine after the catheter is removed.**

Cost and insurance

Most UAE insurance plans cover bladder diverticulectomy when the pouch causes problems, and it requires pre-approval supported by imaging, cystoscopy and urodynamic reports. A prostate procedure in the same sitting is usually assessed as a separate item. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you confirm cover and start approval early on 06 599 7777.