Ileal conduit is a small passage that is created during the radical cystectomy by the urologist to have the urine flow down from the kidneys through the two ureters straight out of a port that is made from a piece of your intestines which leads out to the abdomen (belly). A stoma or hole is created so that the urine can easily be collected into a plastic bag (which is odor proof) that is attached to the new abdominal port or urostomy. This bag is emptied several times during the day and a larger bag may be attached for night time use.

The ileal conduit is the most common of the urinary diversions that are created by the urologist to store and remove urine once the bladder has been removed. The ileal conduit is used because the surgery is shorter which makes it available to those who are not in the peak of health, or have advanced bladder cancer. Patients with an ileal conduit are instructed in the care and maintenance of the ostomy pouch and stoma.

The abdominal diversion reservoir is a pouch created from your intestines that is attached to a hole or stoma on your abdomen. In this procedure the urine will now flow from the kidneys to the two ureters into the newly created abdominal diversion reservoir where it will stay until a catheter is inserted into the stoma on your belly to empty the reservoir. Since the creation of an internal reservoir is included in the cystectomy the procedure is longer then when an ileal conduit is created. The healing time may also be longer and the patient needs to be able to catheterize themselves several times a day and even at night.

The ileal conduit and the abdominal diversion reservoir both include an abdominal stoma called a urostomy, which needs to be cared for. The hole of the stoma is smaller in the abdominal diversion reservoir which is why the urine does not leak out of the abdomen and why it is known as a continent reservoir. The stoma of the ileal conduit is larger which allows the urine to come out straight into the plastic bag that is attached to the skin of the abdomen with an adhesive paste. The final reservoir is called a Neobladder which works differently then ileal conduit and abdominal diversion reservoir.