Beaumont Sees Results in Nation's 1st Urinary Nerve Rewiring Surgeries for Spina...

Beaumont Sees Results in Nation's 1st Urinary Nerve Rewiring Surgeries for
Spina Bifida Patients

ROYAL OAK, Mich., April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Seven children from
across the United States are gaining bladder control through a revolutionary,
first-in-the-nation nerve rerouting surgery for patients with spina bifida.
The surgeries were conducted in 2007 at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich.

The children previously required the insertion of a catheter to empty their
bladder or endured significant incontinence. But as a result of the surgery,
they are beginning to void on their own and are also seeing improvement in
bowel function. Initially they signaled the bladder to urinate by scratching
or pinching their leg or buttocks. But, remarkably, in most patients, the
brain was able to take over and control urination normally.

This will allow them to attend school without being catheterized and to play
with other children without the embarrassment of soiling themselves. It also
means fewer urinary tract infections resulting from catheterization, and
reduces their need for antibiotics for infection control.

"These are still considered early results but we are excited to see them,"
says Kenneth Peters, M.D., chairman of the Urology department at Beaumont,
Royal Oak. "It's still too early to see results on the two adult patients with
spinal cord injuries who also had the surgery."

Results of Dr. Peters' research on nerve rerouting surgery are to be presented
in May at the American Urological Association annual meeting.

Local philanthropists J. Peter and Florine Ministrelli of West Bloomfield,
Mich. underwrote the cost of the surgeries. They have also funded the
Ministrelli Program for Urology Research and Education at Beaumont, which
enables Beaumont to continue its leadership through the purchase of equipment,
the expansion of education and research efforts and bringing innovative
treatments to patients.

In spinal cord injury and spina bifida, the nerves that control the bladder
and sphincter are damaged. People cannot urinate without the use of a catheter
or are constantly wet. Most experience recurrent urinary tract infections.
Also, backup of urine into the kidneys can damage these delicate organs. As a
result, kidney dialysis or transplant may be required.

The research at Beaumont uses a spinal surgery pioneered in China to redirect
nerves from the leg to the bladder to gain better control of urination.
Beaumont is the only U.S. hospital performing this surgery, and patients have
traveled from as far as Utah and Pennsylvania to have it. The Chinese doctor
who developed the surgery, Chuan-Guo Xiao, M.D., reports an almost 90-percent
success rate and an average time for results of 12-24 months after surgery.

"In a stunning reversal of the exchange of information and technology, which
typically originates in the United States and is exported to countries like
China, we are able to offer these patients urinary function and dramatically
improved their quality of life," says Dr. Peters. "We are grateful to Dr. Xiao
and to the patients in this study who are truly medical pioneers."

Possible side effects of the surgery include mild postoperative spinal fluid
leakage, lower extremity weakness and headache. Recent changes in the surgical
technique have dramatically decreased the incidence of these complications.
Standard risks associated with any surgery may include bleeding and infection.

The surgical team that worked with Dr. Peters at Beaumont includes Dr. Xiao;
Ananias Diokno, M.D., Beaumont Hospitals' chief medical officer; and urologist
Jose Gonzalez, M.D.

"Nerve rerouting is an example of Beaumont's leadership in translational
research that applies research results to clinical care that is life changing
for our patients," says Dr. Diokno.

Call study coordinator Cindy Turzewski, R.N., at 248-551-3355 or e-mail her at
Cynthia.turzewski@beaumont.edu, for more information on the nerve rerouting
research.

Beaumont's 1,061-bed hospital in Royal Oak is a major academic, research and
referral center with Level I trauma designation. It ranks first in the United
States for inpatient admissions and second for surgical volume. Beaumont,
Royal Oak is named in nine medical specialties on the U.S. News & World
Report's "America's Best Hospitals" list, ranking 31st as a top hospital for
urology. Visit Beaumont's Web site at www.beaumonthospitals.com.

SOURCE William Beaumont Hospital

Cindy Turzewski, R.N. of William Beaumont Hospital, +1-248-551-3355,
Cynthia.turzewski@beaumont.edu