(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Nationwide Children’s Hospital welcomes Peter Cuckow, MB, BS, FRCS, pediatric urologist to the Department of Pediatric Urology to expand the hospital’s bladder exstrophy program. With a career of more than 25 years at Great Ormand Street Children’s Hospital in London and multiple professorships, Dr. Cuckow is a world-renowned reconstructive surgeon and one of the world’s foremost bladder exstrophy surgeons. Dr. Cuckow has pioneered a different approach to treating bladder exstrophy, and his arrival will enable a new and enhanced service to treat patients in Ohio and across the country.
“We are honored to bring Dr. Cuckow and his mastery of the Kelly procedure to central Ohio and the greater Midwest,” said Rama Jayanthi, MD, chief of urology at Nationwide Children’s. “We are opening doors for a larger number of children to receive this procedure than what was previously possible in North America, helping children thrive.”
Bladder exstrophy is a severe abnormality of the lower abdominal wall and pelvis that leaves the bladder on the outside of the body. The genitalia are severely affected by the condition, which leads to lifelong incontinence and other health issues. Dr. Cuckow practices the Kelly approach, which is performed in two separate surgeries. The first closes the bladder and returns it to inside of the abdominal wall and is typically completed between one week and three months of age. The second surgery is completed around one year of age, and addresses the anatomical reconstruction of the pelvic outlet, bladder and genitalia.
“The Kelly procedure not only allows the child to experience continence and control of their bladder from an earlier age, it improves quality of life for the entire family involved,” said Dr. Cuckow. “This procedure eliminates the need to reshape and realign a child’s bones and reduces hospital stay, making it an ideal choice for families experiencing bladder exstrophy.”
In contrast to other procedures, the Kelly approach does not require osteotomies or the breaking of pelvic bones, significantly shortening a patient’s time spent in the hospital. The Kelly procedure achieves great success in closing the patient’s bladder, and reports the highest rates of achieved continence.
With the arrival of Dr. Cuckow and the implementation of the Kelly procedure, the bladder exstrophy program at Nationwide Children’s is expanding to better meet the needs of patients and their families. While at Nationwide Children’s, Dr. Cuckow will also train and develop the next generation of bladder exstrophy surgeons in partnership with Dr. Jayanthi.